Steel Soul
by Mukario-chan
Summary: Negima Kain, a young and aspiring alchemist, becomes a State Alchemist in order to research how to revive his late father. With the help of his childhood friend Freya, will they bring back the dead and prove the impossible? Or will Equivalent Exchange stop them in their tracks? A Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1: The Steel Soul Alchemist

**One: The Steel Soul Alchemist**

I stood by the door of my house on the day I left. My younger sister Anouk was holding onto the bottom of my jacket. "Negi..." she said, trying hard not to cry. "You're really gonna do this?"

"Yeah," I replied. "But don't worry, I'll come back and visit you often, I promise."

She burst into tears. She lunged forward and hugged my legs. "Don't go, Negi!"

I patted her head. "I have to," I said gently. "You know what I have to do." I unwrapped her arms from around me. I kneeled down to her height. "I'm not leaving forever."

She rubbed her eyes. "Come home safe!" she cried.

My mother was standing behind us. She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. "I can't believe you're leaving..."

I frowned. "I'm sorry, but I have to. I want to help people with my alchemy. And I need the money to help you guys live better. Everything will be okay."

Mom smiled through her tears. "I'm so proud of you..."

I stepped into the doorway. I turned around. "I'll come home safe, don't you worry."

"Bring Daddy back!" Anouk exclaimed.

"I'll try." I walked out onto the sidewalk. I stared up the path. _This is it,_ I thought. I continued to the top, where I could see a large city in the distance. _East City, here I come. _

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I sat in a room inside Eastern Command soon after I passed the State Alchemist exams. Colonel Roy Mustang sat at the desk, and I sat in one of the two chairs facing it. He handed me a piece of paper. "Congratulations, you've just officially become a dog of the military."

I took the paper from him and read it aloud. "'By order of Fuhrer King Bradley, this document certifies that Negima Kain has been appointed to the post of State Alchemist, and that he is hereby granted the title of Steel Soul.'" I looked at Roy. "'Steel Soul?'"

"That's right," Roy said. "State Alchemists also receive a codename along with their commissions. Officially, you will now be known as 'The Steel Soul Alchemist'."

I smiled. "I can see where I got that title..."

Roy handed me a wooden box with the Amestris Military logo carved into the lid. "In this box is the official pocket watch of the State Alchemists. It serves as proof of your certification."

I opened the box and admired the silver watch inside.

"I will be your commanding officer," Roy continued.

"Aw, great," I muttered. "I get a babysitter..."

"I'm not your babysitter!" Roy shouted. "All military personnel have commanding officers."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I said. I stood up. "Well, I'm gonna get going."

"What do you plan to do?"

"I'm trying to find a way to bring back my dead father."

Roy was silent for a moment. "I'm sure you know that Human Transmutation is highly restricted by the laws of the state."

"I know. I'm trying to find a way around that."

He nodded. "Well, I can't stop you. Good luck."

And then I left Eastern Command.

I took a walk around the town, looking at the surroundings. It was so much different than my hometown, and I was amazed.

It was raining. I held my certificate inside my jacket and slipped the watch into my pants pocket. "I should bring this home..." I said to myself. "Mom and Anouk should be happy to see me...and maybe Freya will be too..."

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It took an hour or so to walk back to Vanhaven in the north. I walked up to the top of the hill that overlooked the town. It was much different from East City with all the fancy tall buildings. Vanhaven had a few homes and markets.

I knocked on the door of my house. Anouk opened it. She stared up at me, her eyes sparkling. "Negi!" she exclaimed.

I picked her up. "Hey Anouk," I said. "Miss me?"

"Mommy!" she yelled. "Negi's home!"

My mom walked down the wooden stairs of our house. "Negi..." she said. She smiled. "Welcome home."

I set Anouk down. "I need you to keep this somewhere safe," I said and handed her my State Alchemist certificate.

She glanced down at the paper. "The 'Steel Soul' Alchemist?" she asked. She smirked. "I can see where that name came from."

"Yeah, I'm officially a State Alchemist now!" I said happily. I pulled the watch out of my pocket. "This is proof that I'm a State Alchemist." I handed it to Anouk. "Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah!" she admired. She handed it back.

"While you're here," Mom began. "Why don't you have some tea?"

"Thanks for the offer," I replied. "But I should really get going." I looked out the window. "The sun's starting to set."

Anouk tugged on my hand. "Next time, bring Daddy with you!"

"Maybe," I said. I looked at Mom. "I'll be back again."

She nodded.

I left and walked down the road. I knocked on the door of a house a few doors down.

Freya opened it. "Negi..." she said. "I thought you were in East City."

"I was, but I came home for a little while," I replied. "You don't sound too happy to see me."

"Oh, no! Of course I am!" she blushed. "This was just unexpected!"

"Uh, okay."

She kicked the ground nervously. "So..." she began. "You're gonna do this all by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"Hey..." she said. "Would you mind...if...I came with you...?"

"What?!" I shouted. "What the hell? No! Of course you can't come, why the hell would you? I'm looking for a way to bring back _my_ father, so stay out of it!" And I stomped away.

"Negi!" she called after me. "You asshole!"

.

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Back in East City, I wandered around the town, looking for somewhere to stay. It was late and I was cold.

I walked past a string of several stores. Suddenly, an arm flew out the door of one of the stores and grabbed the collar of my jacket. I choked. "Hey!" I yelled.

The arm pulled me back through the door. It let go and I fell on the floor. "Why the hell did you do that?!"

I looked up at who had nearly choked me to death. He was large. Very large. And muscular. He looked like he could strangle me with one hand. I cringed.

"What's a kid like you wandering around at night for?" the deep voice asked.

"I have nowhere to sleep tonight."

"Well, that's a problem!" the man laughed. "I have a spare bedroom upstairs, so you can stay here tonight!"

"Really?" I asked. "Wow, thank you."

"Oh yeah, and sorry for damn near killin' you," he said. He stuck his hand out to me. "The name's George Grillo. Welcome to Grillo's Deli!"

"More like 'gorilla'," I said under my breath. I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Grillo. I'm Negima Kain, the Steel Soul Alchemist..."

"You mean like a State Alchemist?" he questioned. "Wow, the military must be pretty desperate these days, hiring kids at their attack dogs..."

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Freya stood outside of the deli and peered in through the window. "Is that Negi?" she asked to herself. "Yeah, it is!"

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"And buy something while you're here," George went on. "We got all your meats and cheeses—"

Freya opened the door. "NEGI!"

George and I looked to the front of the store.

"Freya?!" I asked angrily. "What the hell are you doing here? Did you freakin' follow me?"

"Yeah, I did!" she replied.

"Why?!"

"I'll tell you later."

I sighed. "George, can she stay here too?"

"Sure, I don't mind," he said. "But I only have one spare room, so you'll have to share."

We groaned.

"You can stay here as long as you want," George went on. "Just don't get into any trouble and don't cost me any money.

"Okay."

George led us to the second floor of the deli. He opened the door of one of the rooms. "Here ya go."

We walked in. The room was small. All that was in it was a couch, a bed, and a dresser.

"I call the bed!" Freya exclaimed and leaped forward onto it.

George closed the door and went downstairs.

I sat down on the couch. I leaned back onto one of the arms and stared at the ceiling. "Freya?"

"What?"

"Why did you follow me?"

"Because," she said. "You said you were only trying to bring back your father. Well...what if I want to bring him back too?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying...I want to come with you," she sighed. "On your journey."

I looked over at her. She had a serious look in her eyes.

"I have no clue what lies ahead," I said. "It could be dangerous."

"I know. But I don't care."

"Okay," I sighed.

She smiled.

"But you realize this isn't going to be easy," I continued. "Anything can happen. You might get hurt."

"I don't care," she said firmly. "If you're trying to bring him back, then I won't let you do it alone."

After a minute of silence, Freya rolled over onto her back. "So...you're a State Alchemist now..."

"Uh huh."

"You're...the Steel Soul Alchemist!"

I smiled. We reached our fists out to each other and hit them together.

"And you're my sidekick," I smirked.

She smacked me upside the head. "I'm not your sidekick!"

As she was yelling at me, I realized that I couldn't do it on my own. I was pretty glad she was coming with me...we had grown up together. She and I had been through a lot. And we could add 'trying to bring back my dad' to that list.


	2. Chapter 2: A Flash of the Past

**Two: A Flash of the Past**

Sixteen years ago, I was born in Vanhaven to my parents Reni and Lance.

One day, after shopping for some groceries, my parents and I were walking home when we saw a State Alchemist. When he performed alchemy, I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. I was determined to learn this science.

My dad was able to get me several books on how to learn alchemy. I understood it somewhat, even though it was very complicated. At first, I just transmuted things into flowers or little sculptures.

But it became more serious one day when I was seven.

One day, when I was seven, I was walking home with Freya when a soldier, followed by my mother who was pregnant with Anouk approached me. He told Freya to go ahead without me.

"Negima," my mother said. "Your father...was killed...in Ishval..."

"Brigadier General Lance Kain was shot killed in an Ishvalan village by an Ishvalan warrior," the soldier proclaimed. "We're sorry."

I continued to walk home that day, staring down at the ground. _Dad is dead,_ I kept repeating in my head. _He's gone._

Mom had gone with the soldier to Central.

Freya saw me walking. "Negi!" She ran towards me. "What's wrong? What did that soldier tell you?"

I sat down on the side of the hill. I layed back in the grass. "My dad..." I began. "He's dead...he was killed..."

"What?!" Freya exclaimed. "Are they sure it's him? Could it be a mistake?"

"No, it was definitely him."

"But..." she said quietly. "He was just here a little while ago...he can't be dead..."

"Apparently, he _can_ be dead, because he is!" I flipped out.

She looked at me, with tears spilling over her eyes. "Negi...I'm sorry."

I started crying as well. "I'm going to bring him back to life..." I said between sobs.

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After that, I was determined to learn the serious kind of alchemy. I was done transmuting little pointless things. My father was always so proud of me, and I didn't want to disappoint him. And I thought alchemy could bring him back.

When I was fourteen, there was a thief in East City who was stealing things specifically made of steel from the town.

I was running errands for my mom when I first heard of this thief. I decided to find this bastard.

I ran around the town, looking for him. All that I knew about him was that he wore a military uniform.

I ran down several alleys before I saw him. He was surrounded by various steel objects. He looked at me and growled. "Damn kid..."

"So you've been stealing all the steel from the city..." I said. "You bastard."

"What a rude thing to say..." the man replied and laughed. "I have a plan in motion. A kid like you can't stop me."

I rolled up the sleeves of my jacket to expose the two wristbands I was wearing. They had transmutation circles on them.

"Is that alchemy?" the man asked angrily.

"Sure is," I said slyly. I pressed my hands against the ground. Bolts of energy flew towards the man. Several bars rose from the concrete and trapped the man inside of a cage-like structure.

"Damn you!" the man said angrily.

Suddenly, a group of soldiers ran down the alley to me. "Is this the guy who's been taking things made of steel?"

"Yeah," I said proudly.

"Nice work, kid," one soldier said. "You caught a thief and murderer."

"A murderer?"

"He's also responsible for several murders of State Alchemists across Amestris," the soldier told me. "He's a former State Alchemist himself; the Steel Slice Alchemist. He was best known for transmuting steel. He planned to transmute the steel into various murderous weapons and attack Central Command."

"A State Alchemist, huh..." I repeated.

"Hey kid," another soldier walked toward me. "My name is Colonel Roy Mustang. Nice work here. I think you'd make a great State Alchemist."

"A State Alchemist?" I asked. "Me?"

"Yes," Mustang said. "You should come to Central sometime to see if you truly are State Alchemist material."

I nodded. "Okay, I will!"

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I passed all of the tests with flying colors. After that, Mustang gave me my certification. I was officially a State Alchemist now, at the young age of fourteen. My name came from that Steel Slice guy. And according to Mustang, I have heart made of gold and a soul made of steel. Everyone thought it was a fitting name.

Back at the deli, we planned to leave and go to another town.

Freya smiled. "Yay, we're off on our first journey!"

"Hey," I said. "It's gonna be dangerous. You might need a weapon to defend yourself."

"I know. When I need one, you can transmute one for me!"

I started laughing. "And what if there isn't any material for one? What'll you do then?"

"I know martial arts! I'm bad-ass!"

I laughed harder.

"Shut your face!" Freya was turning red with embarrassment.

"Sorry," I said. "Anyway..." I sighed. "I just need you to promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't die."

She blinked at me. "Don't...die?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "Under any circumstances, don't let yourself die."

"Okay," she smirked. "On one condition."

"What? To agree that you're bad-ass?"

"No," she chuckled. "If you make the same promise to me."

"Alright," I said. "I won't die on you."

We fist bumped, and stared outside at East City. _It all starts here. Don't worry, Dad. I'll bring you back._


	3. Chapter 3: The Philosopher's Stone

**Three: The Philosopher's Stone**

Our journey began two years ago. I'm sixteen now.

Freya and I have been researching for these past two years, and we've found a way to bring back my father.

It goes by many names. _The Celestial Stone. The Great Elixir. The Fifth Element. The Philosopher's Stone._ No matter what it's called, it's said to have great alchemic power. And even though it was Human Transmutation I was after, the stone could bypass the laws of Equivalent Exchange.

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"The Philosopher's Stone, huh..." Mustang repeated when I told him about my research.

We were in Central City now, because Mustang and his team were transferred from the East.

"Yeah," I said proudly. "If I can get my hands on one, I can finally bring my dad back."

"Mm hmm..." He rested his chin on his hands. "You know, the Elric brothers are also looking for the stone to get their bodies back."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Roy replied. "They might be able to help you in finding one."

"Great!" I exclaimed. "Where can I find them?"

"They should be heading west right now," Roy said.

"Thanks, Colonel!" I jumped up out of the chair and ran out the door.

Freya was waiting for me outside the room. "Hey!" she yelled. "Wait up!"

I stopped and turned around.

"Negi, where are you going so suddenly?" she asked.

"I'm going to go find the Elric brothers," I replied.

"Edward and Alphonse?" Freya asked. "Why?"

"They're also searching for the Philosopher's Stone!"

Freya ran past me. "Well, let's go!"

"Hey, hold on!" I called after her.

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We walked along the edge of a cliff, heading west after Edward and Alphonse.

"Hey, I'm going to go look over here," I said, turning to a wooded area. "Keep going that way. Meet back here in twenty minutes." I handed her my State Alchemist watch. "Use this to keep track of time.

"'Kay," Freya replied.

I ran off into the woods.

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Freya continued to walk along the cliff. "Steep," she remarked. She stood on the edge and kicked a rock down the side.

Suddenly, the land broke off from under her. She grabbed onto what was left of the edge and tried climbing up. "Help!" she yelled. "AAAAH, HELP ME! I'M GONNA FALL!"

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Edward and Alphonse were walking in the opposite direction as Freya and I were. They heard Freya's screams. "Brother," Alphonse said. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah, it sounds like someone screaming," Edward replied. "Let's go check it out."

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"HELPPPPP!" Freya continued to scream. She looked up at the path and saw Edward and Alphonse walking toward her. "I'm gonna fall!"

"Brother, look!" Alphonse ran to the cliff and held his hand out to her. "Grab my hand!"

Letting go of the edge with one hand, she reached up and grasped Alphonse's. He pulled her up onto the ground.

She sat on her knees and stared up at the suit of armor. "Oh my god," she said. "You saved my life! Thank you so much!"

"It's nothing," Alphonse assured her.

Freya stood up. My State Alchemist watch fell out of her pocket and rolled down the hill. "Aaah, the watch!"

Ed clapped his hands and then pressed them on the ground. The cliff transformed into a giant hand and stopped the watch from falling.

Freya picked up the watch. "Hey, wait," she said. "Alchemy without a transmutation circle..." She turned to Alphonse. "...a suit of armor..." She turned to Edward. "...and a blonde midget-alchemist...are you guys the Elric brothers?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PINT-SIZED SHORTY WHO CAN ONLY BE SEEN WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS?!" Edward yelled.

"Ed, calm down!" Alphonse said. "And yeah, we are."

"I'm Edward Elric, also known as the Fullmetal Alchemist!" Ed declared proudly. "This is my younger brother Al!"

"_You're_ the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Freya asked. "It would make more sense that your brother would be, his body being a suit of armor. You're just a pipsqueak."

Ed lunged at her and started yelling about how he wasn't short. Al grabbed both of his arms and pulled him back.

"So..." Al said after he got Ed to calm down. "You have a State Alchemist pocket watch?"

"Are you a State Alchemist?" Ed asked.

"No," Freya replied. "I..."

I walked out of the woods and towards them. "I'm the State Alchemist."

They all turned to me.

"Let me guess, Negima Kain, the Steel Soul Alchemist? Second youngest State Alchemist in history?"

"Yep," I said, and took the watch back from Freya.

"Negi!" she said. "These are the Elric brothers!"

"Really?" I asked. "How'd you find them?"

"Well..." she started. "I fell down that cliff..."

"You _what?!_" I grabbed both of her arms. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Alphonse pulled me up."

I looked over at the suit of armor. "Thank you so much for saving her."

"It's nothing, really," Al said.

"Why were you looking for us?" Ed asked.

"Colonel Mustang told us you were searching for the Philosopher's Stone," I said. "We're also searching for it."

"Why?" Ed asked.

"Why are _you?_" Freya shot back. She glared at him.

"We're trying to bring back my father," I explained. "We think the Philosopher's Stone could help up do that. Now why are you?"

"Um..." Al said. "You see..."

"And don't lie," Freya interrupted. "I'll be able to tell if you're lying or not."

"We..." Ed began. He looked at his brother and sighed.

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"You..." I stuttered. "You tried to bring back your mother...and your brother's body and your leg was lost?"

"People don't come back from the dead," Ed muttered. "We learned that the hard way." He looked straight at me. "I don't think even the Philosopher's Stone is enough payment to bring someone back to life. It won't work no matter what."

"Hey!" I said furiously. "The whole reason I became a dog of the military is because I wanted to find a way to bring him back to life! I'll find a way! What, are you just trying to get rid of the competition?"

"Shut the hell up!" Ed replied. "I'm trying to warn you! When and if you try Human Transmutation, the Philosopher's Stone won't be enough payment! If you want to end up like this, then go ahead!"

"C'mon, Freya," I said, turning away. "Let's go."

"Negi..." she said.

"I said let's go!" I repeated angrily.

She hesitated for a minute, and then followed me. She turned around to Alphonse. "Thanks again." She turned to Ed. "I'm sorry about him."

She ran to catch up with me. She followed quietly, staring at the ground. Suddenly, she stopped.

"What?" I asked.

"What was _that_ called?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"What you did back there. What the hell, Negi?"

I turned away from her. "They're trying to get us to stop looking so they have a better chance of finding one."

"Or," Freya said. "Maybe they're right. Maybe they're trying to help you."

"Whose side are you on?" I said. "I can bring back my father with the Philosopher's Stone, end of story."

"Really?" Freya asked. "Can you prove that? And when you attempt Human Transmutation and lose something, what'll you say? Tell me that, Negima."

I gasped. Freya _never_ called me by my full name. She always called me Negi.

"What do you know, anyway?" I asked. "How do you know this for sure? What if I try and succeed in bringing back my father? What'll you say then?"

"Wow," Freya said. She threw her hands up. "Just..._wow._ I'm _so sorry_ for caring about you. You want to chance it? Go ahead. You succeed, great. You fail, don't say nobody warned you. You know, Negima, you're so conceded. You're not the only person who wants something in this world. Stop thinking of yourself all the time. There are other people out there too, you know!"

"Shut up!" I yelled back. "If you don't like what I'm doing, then go home. I don't want you coming with me."

"Is that so?" she asked. "Alright, fine. I'll go home. Good luck without me, Negima!"

And with that, she ran off.


	4. Chapter 4: The First Encounter

**Four: The First Encounter**

I entered into the small village of Saigo after that. There were a few markets and homes lined along the main drag.

I had thought of regret about what I said to Freya. Part of me needed her back. But another part was telling me to go on without her.

Suddenly, a young man ran into me. We both fell to the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he said. He stood up and ran to the front of one of the stores. There was a large man standing outside of it. "What's going on in there?"

"Some girl wandered into town," the large man said. "She's crying her eyes out. Apparently some friend of hers totally broke her heart."

"That's horrible," the younger man remarked.

"She's a nice girl," the large man added. "Red hair, blue eyes...she's pretty. How could someone break the heart of a girl like that?"

_Red hair and blue eyes..._ I thought. _Could it be...?_

Another man walked out of the building. "She can't stop crying. She's so upset. Apparently the guy totally dumped her and doesn't care about her."

"Do you know her name?" the large man asked. "Maybe we could call someone to come get her."

"She said her name is Freya Datsu."

I almost fell backwards at that. _Freya!?_ She was crying about her friend that broke her heart? She was crying about _me!_

I walked up to the group of men. "Excuse me..." I said. "Is Freya in there?"

"Yeah," the large man replied. "Wait, are you the friend that's making her cry? You monster! What did she ever do to you?!"

I ignored him and entered the store. The bell on the door rang. "Hello?" a man asked. I assumed he worked there.

I saw Freya sitting at a table. She had her head in her arms and someone had wrapped a towel around her. A few other people were sitting around her, trying to talk to her.

"Can I help you?" the employee asked.

"Freya?" I asked softly. I walked closer to her. "Are you okay?"

She lifted her head and looked at me. I could see the surprise in her eyes. She held the towel around her shoulders and stood up. "What are you doing here? I thought you got rid of me. I'm nothing to you. Go on your journey by yourself."

"You're the one who hurt her?!" someone asked.

"You sick person!"

"How dare you?"

"She never did anything to you!"

"She didn't deserve this!"

"Stop!" I yelled. I walked closer. "Freya...I need to talk to you."

"Why?" she asked. She dabbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "You're going to tell me how you can do this on your own? How you're always right? I don't wanna hear it."

"No, that's not it," I said. I looked at the employee. "Is there someplace private where I can talk to her?"

He pointed the stairs leading to the basement. "You can go down there."

"Thanks," I said. "C'mon, Freya."

I walked down the stairs. I could hear her footsteps following me. I turned on the light. It was a cozy little room. There was a couch and a few chairs. A table sat in the middle of the room.

I sat down on the couch. Freya leaned against the wall.

"Freya..." I motioned for her to sit with me. She reluctantly walked towards me and sat down.

She sighed.

"I...I'm sorry," I said. "I was wrong. Maybe you're right...maybe the Philosopher's Stone isn't enough. Maybe I am conceded. I'm unsure about all those things, but I am sure of one thing."

"What?" she asked.

"I'm certain I can't go on without you."

She looked up at me and blinked.

"I know I can let my emotions get the best of me sometimes," I went on. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said back there. Honestly, I don't want to continue my journey without you. I need you."

She continued to stare at me. "Negi..."

"I know you probably hate me," I said. "I made you cry. I broke your heart. I'm just really touchy about the subject of my father. And I'm so sorry for the emotional pain I've caused. I wish I could take it all back, but I can't."

"Negi..." she repeated. Tears spilled off of her eyes.

"Oh no," I said. I stood up. "I made you cry again..."

She stood up and faced me. She wrapped her arms around me. "Negi..." she said again.

I hugged her back. "Freya...I'm sorry..."

She pulled back smiled. "Negi...it's okay."

"_Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!_" We heard screaming coming from the store upstairs.

"What was that?" I asked and let go of her. I walked across the room and looked up the stairs. She followed.

I slowly walked up, and I saw a man wearing a hooded jacket. He had brown skin and was standing in the front of the store. I gasped. _An Ishvalan,_ I guessed.

A few people were lying on the floor in a pile of blood. I stared in horror. "Freya..." I said. "Stay down here."

I continued upstairs. I reached the top.

The Ishvalan looked at me. "Are you Negima Kain, the Steel Soul Alchemist?"

"Yeah," I said nervously. "What do you want?"

His right arm twitched angrily. "State Alchemists turn their backs on the ways of God," he proclaimed. "They shall be punished."

He lunged toward me and stuck his right arm in front of him. He reached for my face. I jumped out of the way. He landed on the stairs.

Freya walked up the stairs toward him. "Negi, what's going on?"

"Freya!" I yelled.

The Ishvalan looked at her. "Are you a friend of the State Alchemist?"

"Um, yeah," she replied.

He hit the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.

"Freya!" I shouted again. I lunged at the Ishvalan. "Bastard!"

He picked Freya up and held her over his shoulder. He walked upstairs.

"Let go of her!" I yelled.

He pushed me to the ground and ran out of the store.

I stood up and looked around. "What happened?"

"It was...like alchemy..." a frightened employee explained. "He just slammed his hand on their face, and it...exploded!"

"Alchemy?" I asked. "But he was just saying that..." And then I realized. "I can't just stand here! He's got Freya!"

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Freya slowly awoke. She was sitting in a dark alley. She looked around and saw the Ishvalan. She cringed. "What do you want with me?"

"You're bait," he said. "For the State Alchemist."

He took the hood off of his head. She noticed the red eyes and large X-shaped scar on his head. "Are you...an Ishvalan?"

He turned to her. "Yes," he said. "I am."

"Are you going after State Alchemists for what they did in Ishval?"

He closed his eyes. "Yes."

"Please don't hurt him."

The Ishvalan opened his eyes and stared at her.

"Please," she begged. "Don't hurt Negi. You'll have to kill me first."

He looked away. "I'll kill anyone who gets in my way," he said flatly. "I don't plan to kill you. Interfere, and I will."

"Please..." she cried. "Don't."

.

.

.

I ran down the streets, looking for the Ishvalan and Freya. I finally saw them and ran down to them. "Freya!" I yelled.

The Ishvalan stood and faced me. Again, his right arm twitched.

"Negi, run!" Freya yelled. "He plans to kill you!"

"I'm not running," I said through clenched teeth. "He kidnapped you. I can't let things like that go!"

"Negi!" she shouted again.

I pressed my hands onto the ground. The transmutation circles on my wristbands glowed. The cement under my hands transformed into a staff that rose from the ground.

The Ishvalan ran towards me. He held his right arm in front of him. He tried grabbing my face.

I ducked. His hand hit into a wall, and then red bolts of energy shot from it. The wall exploded.

I turned around. "What kind of alchemy is that?"


	5. Chapter 5: Equivalent Exchange

Five: Equivalent Exchange

I continued to stare at the rubble that once was the wall. It was some version of alchemy, but it was missing something...

_Equivalent Exchange!_

I stared at the Ishvalan. "Hey, uh...Scar," I nicknamed him, due to the large x-shaped scar on his forehead. "Why are you going after State Alchemists? You said it's because they 'turn their backs on the ways of God', right? But what about what _you're_ doing? That's alchemy, isn't it? But it's not Equivalent Exchange...alchemy has three parts to it; understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing. You skip the last part. You stop at deconstruction. And another thing...you don't use a transmutation circle..."

"Wrong," Scar interrupted. He pulled down the sleeve of his jacket to reveal a transmutation circle tattooed on his right arm.

"Whoa," I said in awe. "I've never seen a transmutation circle like that before..."

"Everyone, stop!" someone shouted from afar. Several Amestrian soldiers were standing and blocking the entrance to the alley. They had their guns pointed in our direction.

"Freya, c'mon!" I yelled, and ran towards the soldiers. She followed.

But Scar followed as well.

The soldiers let us out and then blocked Scar from exiting. He backed further into the alley. Then, he slammed his hand onto the ground. The concrete broke apart under it and created a cloud of dust.

When the dust cleared, Scar was gone.

"Dammit!" a man cried.

"That son of a—"

I slid down the wall of one of the buildings. I sighed in relief.

Freya sat down next to me. "Negi..." she said.

I looked up. "Hmm?"

"You retard!" she yelled, and slapped me across the face.

"Ow!" I exclaimed. "What the hell was that for?!"

She sat back against the wall. "The only reason Scar was here was because of you. If you left when I told you to, he would've left as well. And then we could've lost him."

"I couldn't run and leave you behind," I argued. "If I ran, who knows what he would've done to you..."

"He only kidnapped me for bait," Freya said. "So you would come and find us. And so he could kill you. He told me he wouldn't kill me if I didn't interrupt."

I sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore. He's gone."

"But what if he comes back?" she asked. "He'll try to kill you again."

"I won't let him," I said firmly. "I promised you I'm not dying."

She looked away.

"And," I said. "I want to apologize again. For what I did earlier."

"Don't worry about it."

"So..." I said. "The Philosopher's Stone might not be enough payment for bringing back my father...do we just give up?"

"Well..." she said slowly. "Maybe if we continue, we'll find a way around that."

"So you don't want to turn around and go home?"

"Hell no!" she exclaimed. "We've dedicated our lives to this! If we give up, we would've wasted two years trying to bring him back!"

"Okay," I said.

A car drove down the street and parked right in front of us. The driver rolled down his window. "Steel Soul," Roy said. "Get in."

"Colonel?" I asked.

"Get in," Mustang repeated.

I looked at Freya and blinked. She shrugged.

I opened the back door of the car and climbed in. Freya did the same. Roy drove away from the scene.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I heard you had an encounter with Scar..." Roy said and looked back at me in the mirror.

"What's his deal anyway?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "He's only targeting State Alchemists, but he uses alchemy himself..."

"We think it has something to do with the war in Ishval," Mustang replied. "Because of the role State Alchemists played."

I sighed. "But why is he coming after _me?_" I asked. "I only became a dog of the military _after_ Ishval. Shouldn't he just go after the ones who took part in the war?"

"We don't know that much," Roy said. "We don't even know his name. We just call him Scar due to the large scar on his face." His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "And he's going after high ranked military personnel. Did I tell you that he killed Brigadier General Grand?"

"You mean Basque Grand?!" I said angrily. "The Iron Blood Alchemist?"

"Yeah," Mustang answered. "As of right now, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes is in charge of capturing him. Scar's among the most wanted in Amestris right now."

"What kind of alchemy does he use?" I leaned back against the seat and folded my hands behind my head. "He only deconstructs things. He skips reconstruction. I don't understand it..."

"Neither do I," Mustang said. "We don't know anything about him or his alchemy, but we need him caught."

"I know."

"And..." Roy smirked. "I heard you flipped out on the Elric brothers."

I blushed and turned toward the window. "What's your point?"

"If you want more information on the Philosopher's Stone, it might help if you see someone..."

"What do you mean?" I urged. "Someone who can help me get a Philosopher's Stone? Who? Where can I find them?"

"Doctor Tim Marcoh. The Crystal Alchemist," he said. "He did research on the Philosopher's Stone that might be able to help you."

"Great!" I looked at Freya. "Finally, a good lead!"

She nodded. "So Colonel," she said. "Where can we find this guy?"

"Well," Roy began. "We don't know. He's been in hiding ever since the Ishvalan war. And..." He smiled slyly. "You're going to need an escort."

"What the hell?" I exclaimed. "I'm sixteen years old, I don't need an escort!"

"What if you get attacked by Scar again?" Mustang asked. "It's best if you have someone with you. I have someone in mind..." He smiled.

Freya and I looked at each other and then back at the Colonel. "Who?"

.

.

.

"Negima Kain!" a voice yelled.

I was back at Central Command in Mustang's office. There were several other people in the room: Riza Hawkeye, Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman, and Kain Fuery. I was waiting to meet my escort.

I turned around.

A large mustached man in a military uniform was running...no, _prancing,_ towards me.

"Aaaaah!" I yelled.

The man wrapped his beefy arms around me and lifted me off the ground. "I've heard so much about you!" he gushed. "Trying for so many years to revive your late father, it's so beautiful!"

"Can't...breathe...!" I managed to say.

He let me down.

I looked at the Colonel. "Great, I get an escort that physically assaults me..."

"That's Major Armstrong," he said. "The Strong Arm Alchemist."

"Greetings, Negima," Armstrong said. "The Colonel told me about your amazing story of courage and determination!" He pointed to Freya. "And you have your precious _girlfriend_ to help you!"

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" I shouted and blushed. "She's just my friend from my childhood, kinda like family to me!" I glared at Mustang. "Just how much did you tell him?"

"Everything," Roy replied. "He kept pestering me and I had no choice."

"Can't I have another escort?" I asked. "One that doesn't scare me?" I looked around the room.

"Well, I have to stay here," Mustang said.

"I have to watch the Colonel," Hawkeye explained.

"I simply don't want to," Havoc said flatly.

"Same here!" Breda, Falman, and Fuery said in unison.

"Then it's settled!" Armstrong announced. He picked me up over his shoulder and strutted out of the room.

"Put me the hell down!" I yelled.

.

.

.

"So what do I do now?" Freya asked. "They left me."

Mustang sighed. "You go home."

"I can't go home," she argued. "We've been traveling all this time and I don't have anywhere to go."

"You can stay with me," Lieutenant Hawkeye said. "I live alone and I wouldn't mind having a guest."

"Really?" Freya asked. "Wow, thank you!"

"I'm done this afternoon and I have tomorrow off," Hawkeye continued. "While you're waiting, you can walk around Central for a while. Just come back here in a few hours."

"Okay," Freya said. She bowed slightly. "Thank you." She turned and left the room.

.

.

.

"Hey, where's Freya?" I asked when Armstrong finally put me down.

"I think we left her at Central Headquarters," he replied.

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry, we'll come back and get her tonight," Armstrong said. "You're worried about your girlfriend; it's all so beautiful!"

"She's _not my girlfriend!_" I said angrily. "Get it through that thick head of yours!"

"Now, Negima, don't be rude to your escort," Armstrong scolded.

I sighed. "Let's just find this Marcoh guy."


	6. Chapter 6: Marcoh and Ishval

**Six: Marcoh and Ishval**

Freya knocked on the door of Roy's office later that day. Riza opened it. "Oh, hi," she said. "I'm just getting ready to leave."

"Okay," Freya replied. She stepped into the room.

"Colonel," Riza said, turning toward Mustang. "While I'm off tomorrow, I expect you to behave."

"Yeah, yeah," Mustang said. "I will."

She saluted. "Goodbye, sir." She walked to the door and opened it. "C'mon, Freya."

Freya followed.

.

.

.

"Where the hell is he?" I asked angrily.

We had searched the entire town of Lexar, but there was no Dr. Marcoh. We were sitting on a train heading toward the village of Resembool. It was at the station and wasn't moving yet.

"We honestly have no idea where he is," Armstrong said. "He disappeared after the war in Ishval."

"YOU MEAN WE HAVE TO SEARCH THIS ENTIRE COUNTRY?!"

"He might have fled to a bordering country like Creta or Aruego or even Xing."

"Then why did the Colonel tell us to search _here_ when he could be anywhere?" I slammed my head against the wall. "We'll never find him."

Armstrong looked out the window. "What luck!" His eyes practically bulged out of his head. He stuck his head out the window. "Dr. Marcoh! Tim Marcoh!"

An elderly man turned around. He stared at Armstrong in horror.

"Dr. Marcoh! It's me, Alex Louis Armstrong!"

The man turned and ran away.

"That's Dr. Marcoh?" I asked excitedly. _Oh God,_ I thought. _I don't believe in you, but thank you so much!_ (I'm Atheist)

.

.

.

"Make yourself at home," Riza said, unlocking the door of her apartment.

Freya walked inside. The lights were off and the only light was from the moon shining through the window blinds.

Suddenly, there was a loud barking sound that interrupted the silence.

Freya spastically looked around. "What the hell was that?"

"I guess I forgot to tell you," Riza said. She bent down to the ground and picked something up. "I have a dog."

The dog was black and white. Its eyes were dark and sparkling.

"AAAAAWWWW!" Freya exclaimed. "What a cute puppy!"

"His name is Black Hayate," Riza said. "He's friendly."

Freya took the dog from Riza. "He's so cute!" She hugged him to her chest and rubbed her face against his fur. "I love dogs!"

Riza smiled. "That's what the Colonel said..." she muttered to herself.

.

.

.

We got off the train and ran after him. We found ourselves in a small poor village. We walked up to random people, asking if they know him.

Armstrong held up a small notebook with a drawing of Marcoh on it. "Excuse me, kind sir," he said to a bearded guy walking past. "Do you by chance know this elderly man?"

"Wow, Major," I said, staring at the drawing. "You're one hell of an artist..."

"This artistic ability has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations," he said with pride.

"That's Dr. Mauro!" the bearded man replied. "This village is poor, and we can't afford doctors. But Dr. Mauro refuses to be paid!"

"It was like magic," a woman explained. "There was just a flash of light, and then they were healed!"

"A flash of light, huh," I said to Armstrong. "Sounds like alchemy..."

"Where can we find Dr. Mauro?" I asked one of the people.

.

.

.

"Freya, would you like some tea?" Riza asked and offered her a small cup.

"Oh, yes, thank you," Freya replied. She sipped the tea. She sighed and set the cup down. "Riza?"

"Yes?"

"You were a soldier in Ishval, right?"

Riza looked down. "Yes, I was."

"Can you explain to me what happened there?" she asked. "The whole reason me and Negi are traveling together is because his father was killed in the war. And yet, I know nothing about Ishval."

Riza sat down on the couch next to Freya. "It was a terrible war...

"Everywhere you looked, there was blood and some dead body laying on the ground. I was a sniper in that war. And snipers..." She closed her eyes. "Never fail to kill.

"I took so many innocent lives...I had nightmares long after the war ended. Some of the Amestrian soldiers were dying...and a lot of Ishvalans were too. It was a fight to stay alive."

"Wow," Freya said. "That's terrible..."

.

.

.

Armstrong and I were walking to Marcoh's house when we ran into Edward and Alphonse Elric, Sergeant Denny Brosh, and 2nd Lieutenant Maria Ross. "Oh," I said. "Hi..."

Ed glared at me. "Hello..."

"Major Armstrong," Denny said. "What brings you here?"

"Negima and I are looking for Dr..." He looked at me. "Dr...Mauro!" he said nervously.

"You mean Dr. Marcoh?" Al said. "We just talked to him about the Philosopher's Stone."

"You did?!" I asked excitedly. "What did he say?"

"He told us where I can find his research," Ed explained. "He wouldn't tell me anything. He just said 'You'll uncover the truth behind the truth'."

"Well, where can we find it?"

"The National Central Library. First Branch," Al said.

"We were just on our way," Maria said. "Would you like to come?"

"We'd be glad to!" Armstrong proclaimed. He picked me up and held me under his arm. "Let's go, Negima!"

"Lemme down!" I yelled and tried to get away.

.

.

.

Riza sighed. "And that's it, I guess."

"Thanks for explaining it to me," Freya said sadly. "Now I can kind of picture where Negi's dad died..." She stood up. "I'm going to go find Negi. Do you know where he is?"

"No." Freya grabbed her jacket. "But Colonel Mustang probably does."

.

.

.

"WHAT?!"

Ed, Al, Maria, Denny, and I stood in front of what was left of the first branch (We were able to ditch Armstrong, thankfully). It was burnt to a crisp.

"There was a mysterious fire a few days ago," Maria said. "And all the books inside were destroyed.

I gazed up at the building. "Another big lead..." I reached out toward the library and clenched my fist. "And it's gone..."


	7. Chapter 7: The Bookworm

**Seven: The Bookworm**

"Research by Tim Marcoh?" asked the woman behind the front desk at the National Central Library's main branch. "On the Philosopher's Stone?" She looked down at the catalogue and turned a few pages. "It's not in here. Any books that enter the library would be checked in. That means they weren't even there in the first place, or they were destroyed in the fire."

I dropped my head. "This is great..." I said sarcastically.

"Hey wait," A man carrying a pile of books said suddenly. "Sheska might know! She was at the first branch before, right?"

"Oh yeah!" the woman said. "If you go pay Sheska a visit, she might be able to help you."

"Does she know a lot about the books at the first branch?" Ed asked.

"She knows a ton. She has an incredible memory."

.

.

.

"Hello? Sheska?" Denny asked after knocking on her door several times.

"Is she even here?" Ed asked.

"The lights are on," Al said. "So probably."

I opened the door. "Sheska?"

"Holy crap!" Ed exclaimed. "What's with all the books!"

The house had large piles of books everywhere.

"Someone _lives_ here?" Maria asked.

"Ms. Sheska!" Denny yelled. We made our way through the forest of books. "Are you home?"

Al heard moans coming from within the books. "Brother, a person!" he yelled. "A person's buried here!"

"Dig! Dig!"

"Oh my gosh," Sheska said when we finally was able to dig her out. "I wasn't paying attention and a pile of books fell and buried me..." She straightened her glasses. "I thought I would die under there! Thank you!"

"You're welcome..." I mumbled.

"Yes, I'm Sheska," she continued. "I was happy to be employed at the first branch because I love books so much...but because I loved books _too_ much, I would read all the time instead of working, and I was fired...you see, I have to work because I need to put my sick mother into a better hospital. But I'm so clumsy at anything other than reading that I can't get a job anywhere..."

"Uh huh..." Ed said. "Hey, there's something that I want to ask you...do you know anything about the research files by Tim Marcoh?"

Sheska thought for a minute. Then, she clapped her hands together. "Ah, yes! I remember them pretty well because they were the only thing handwritten among the printed books. They were in a bookshelf out of their genre."

"They really were at the branch..." I said.

Ed, Al, and I collapsed onto the floor. "That means they were completely destroyed..."

"Sorry to waste your time..."

"We have to start all over again..."

"Um," Sheska said. "Did you want to read those documents?"

"Yeah, but we can't now that they're..."

"I remember everything that was written, though."

We turned around to her. "Huh?!

"After reading a book only once," Sheska explained. "I can remember every word from it, without any mistakes."

My jaw dropped.

"It'll take some time, but do you want me to make a copy?"

Ed shook her hand spastically. "Thank you, Ms. Bookworm!"

.

.

.

Freya knocked on Mustang's door. "Excuse me," she said and opened it. "Colonel?"

"Oh, Freya," he said, somewhat surprised. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you knew where Negi went," she said. "Do you know where he is?"

"Honestly, I don't," Mustang said. "He and Major Armstrong were in the small village of Lexar the last time I checked, but I highly doubt they're still there."

"I saw that kid along with the Elric brothers earlier today," Jean Havoc said. He was standing next to Roy, smoking a cigarette. "They were at the library that burned down. From there, I'm guessing that they went to the main branch."

"Okay, thanks, Lieutenant Havoc!" Freya said and left.

"She's a cute girl, isn't she?" Havoc said to Roy and grinned.

"Pedophile," Mustang muttered and looked back at his paperwork.

.

.

.

Freya walked into the main branch and looked around. Then she saw me. "Negi!" she called.

"Freya!" I ran to her. "I was wondering where you were! Sorry, the major practically kidnapped me!"

"I'm staying with Riza for the time being," she said. She smiled. "So...what did Dr. Marcoh say?"

"I didn't actually get the talk to him," I replied. "Ed and Al did. He told them where to find his research on the Philosopher's Stone."

"And...?"

"Well, the library it was in burnt down...but we have someone who's making a copy for us."

.

.

.

"I'm sorry it took so long!" Sheska said a week later. A pile of papers was stacked on top of a table at her house. "There was so much information!"

"These are really Dr. Marcoh's research files?" Ed asked and stared in awe.

"Yep! Without a doubt!" Sheska exclaimed. "His culinary research documents. _1,000 Flavors for Today's Menu!_"

"Wha—" Ed, Al, and I said.

"'Add a table spoon of sugar and a dash of water...'"

"This really is '1,000 Flavors for Today's Menu'..." Maria muttered.

"Hey, Bookworm!" Denny yelled. "These aren't important documents!"

"Important?" Sheska said. "I only copied them as I remembered!"

"Was this a complete waste of time?"

"Is this really Dr. Marcoh's research?"

"This is really what Tim Marcoh wrote, word for word, without a mistake, right?" Ed asked.

"Yes, I'm sure of it!" Sheska said nervously.

"You're amazing, thanks," Ed said, grinning. "Al, Negima, let's take these back to the main branch."

"There are plenty of dictionaries there, too," Al added.

"And as payment," Ed went on, reaching into his jacket. He pulled out his State Alchemist pocket watch and a small notebook. He wrote something onto a piece of paper. "2nd Lieutenant Ross! Here's my registration code, my signature, and my silver watch to prove who I am. Go to the State Alchemist's division at the Fuhrer's office, withdraw the amount of money I wrote from my research expenses, and give it to Sheska."

"Yes, sir..." Maria said, confused.

"Bye, Sheska! Thanks a lot!" Ed said and ran out the door.

"From his research expenses, eh..." Maria said. She looked at the amount of money Ed wrote. Her eyes widened.

"THAT'S SO MUCH MONEY!" Sheska exclaimed.

"How can a kid pull out that much money?!" Maria yelled.


	8. Chapter 8: The Secret of the Stone

**Eight: The Secret of the Stone**

"You see," Ed began. "The people who can understand alchemy have to prevent normal people from learning about it. And so, they code their research to give to the public. After all, 'Alchemists live for the people'."

"Oh, so if alchemy were easily understandable, people would be using it for the wrong purposes," Denny said.

"Yeah," I replied. "Alchemists stop this from happening by coding their research documents."

"To someone ordinary," Ed continued. "Dr. Marcoh's files looks like culinary research. But Dr. Marcoh coded them with hidden meanings and metaphors, so only he would understand it!"

"But if only the author can understand it, how are you going to decode it?" Denny asked.

"Well, we have three alchemists here, so our combined knowledge and a lot of patience should help us crack the code," I said.

"That'd probably bore you to tears..." Denny grunted.

"People say alchemy was born from the kitchen," Al said. "So it should be fairly easy to decode.

"All right!" I said happily. "Let's decode this and learn the truth!"

.

.

.

_A week later..._

"This is too damn hard..." Ed complained.

"Maybe we should just ask Dr. Marcoh..." Al suggested.

Ed hissed. "No way! He'd just tell us that we don't have to right to learn the truth of the Philosopher's Stone because can't solve something like this! We'll solve this by ourselves!"

Suddenly, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes marched into the room. "Yo!" he yelled.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes!" Ed said, surprised.

"Major Armstrong told me where to find you," Hughes said. He looked down at me. "I don't believe we've met before! I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, nice to meet you!" He shook my hand erratically.

"Um, hi," I said. "I'm...um...Major Negima Kain..."

"Major?" Hughes repeated. "You're a State Alchemist too?! Why the hell is the military hiring kids these days?"

I grunted.

"Sorry I haven't come to see you guys in a while," he said to Ed and Al. "I've been really busy lately. There have been so many crimes in Central...and the case of Tucker's chimera isn't finished..."

Ed looked away sadly.

"Sorry for bringing that up..." Hughes said. "Anyway, I needed a break from work, so I came here to visit you guys. The first branch burned down and it's been a hell of a time with all these crimes lately..." He rubbed his neck.

"The first branch?" I asked.

"I stored the old cases and registries in the first branch," Hughes sighed. "It's preventing me form getting any work done..."

Ed, Al, and I looked at each other and had the same thought in mind.

"We know someone who can help you!" Ed exclaimed. "She can remember every word of every book she ever read! If she read the military detective records, she's sure to remember them and help you out!" He wrote her address down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Go find her!"

"Someone who has that kind of ability could certainly help!" Hughes proclaimed. He walked through the door, laughing.

"Alright," I said. "Let's get back to work..."

.

.

.

"They've been working for ten whole days..." Maria said to Denny. "I guess they haven't decoded the research yet."

Denny opened the door. "It's closing time."

"NO WAY!"

Ed kicked the chair he was sitting in. "God dammit!"

"Were you guys fighting?" Denny asked. "Calm down..."

"It's not that," Al said.

"Are you angry that you haven't broken the code yet...?" Maria asked.

"No, we broke it," I said.

"The code..." Al sighed, "has been broken."

"Oh, really?!" Denny exclaimed. "Isn't that good news!?"

"There's nothing good about this shit!" Ed punched the table in anger and rage. "'The Devil's Research', huh...damn you, Marcoh..."

"Just what did you find out?" Denny asked.

I put my head in my hands. "The raw materials needed to make a Philosopher's Stone...ARE LIVING HUMANS!"

.

.

.

Freya knocked on the open door of the room we were in. "Negi...?" she said. She looked around the room. "Whoa, what happened here?!"

"Freya..." I said and looked up. "We just learned the truth about the Philosopher's Stone..."

"You did?!" she said happily. "That's great!"

"No it's not!" I shot back. "It's sick!"

She cringed. "Just...what did you find out?"

I looked to Ed. He sighed. "Philosopher's Stones are made of...living humans...and it takes multiple sacrifices to make only one..."

She looked like she was going to faint. I ran to her and helped her stay standing. "Freya...I know...what we've been searching for...turns out to be..."

"Something like that was done by an organization under the military?! That's inhumane!" Denny yelled.

"This is unforgivable!" Maria added.

"Sergeant Brosh, 2nd Lieutenant Ross..." Ed said. "Can you not tell anyone about this?"

"But...!" Denny retorted.

"Please," Ed begged. "Act like you never heard about this."

.

.

.

After that, Freya and I got a room in the same military inn that Ed and Al were staying at.

We stayed in that room all day, letting the truth about the Philosopher's Stone sink in.

"Freya," I said after a long silence. "Go eat something."

"I don't want anything," she muttered.

"You'll get weak if you don't eat," I argued.

"I don't care," she said. She leaned back onto the wall. "So what do we do now?"

"I dunno," I said. "Do we keep searching or do we give up?"

She punched the wall. "We've come all this way for this, only to find out... I don't want to find the stone if it's made of living humans..."

"Alright," I stood up from sitting on the couch. "Let's just go home...it's not worth it anymore."

She sighed. "I don't want to go home..." she said. "We've spent two years of our lives traveling, and I don't wanna throw all of that away."

"Then what do we do?"

"We could look for another way to bring him back..." she said.

"I dunno," I said. "I'm gonna go walk around town for a while..." I walked towards the door. "Hopefully the rain will help me think."

I closed the door and left.

Freya sighed. She looked out the window at the pouring rain. _There's no reason for us to keep going..._

A knock on the door startled her. She opened it.

A woman in a black cloak stood in the hallway. Her black wavy hair was pushed out of her face and her purple eyes locked on Freya. "Excuse me," she said. "I heard that Negima Kain is looking for the Philosopher's Stone...is he not here?"

"No, he just left," Freya replied. "Why?"

"Well," she reached into her cloak and pulled out a small vial full of a red gel. She held it tightly in her gloved hands. "I have a Philosopher's Stone right here, and I was planning on giving it to him..."

"THAT'S a Philosopher's Stone?!" Freya exclaimed. "It's not even a _stone!_"

"It can come in various forms," the woman replied. "When he comes back, would you mind giving it to him?"

"Yeah, sure," Freya took the vial from the woman. "And...who are you?"

"Just a family friend," the woman said and smirked. She turned and walked down the hall.

Freya looked down at the Philosopher's Stone in her hands. She clenched it tightly. "I dunno if Negi wants to use it or not..."

.

.

.

I walked around Central while the rain got heavier. I was about to turn around and go back to the inn when Freya ran towards me.

"NEGIIIIII!" she yelled.

"What is it?"

She handed me a vial with a red gel inside of it. "Guess what this is?"

"Um...food?" I replied. "Great, I'm starving!"

"Don't eat it!" she snatched the vial back. "This is a Philosopher's Stone!"

I did a double take. "Stone...?"

"It can come in different forms!" she exclaimed. "It's the Philosopher's Stone, Negi!"

I didn't know what emotion to feel. "...should I use it to bring him back?"

"I'm not in charge of that," she said. She kicked the ground. "If you do...what if Edward was right? About it not being enough payment?"

"Honestly," I said. "I have to think about this...let's go back to Vanhaven."

"What?! Why?" Freya shouted.

"Maybe if I go home, I can decide whether I want to bring him back with the stone or not..."

.

.

.

"Lust," a bony figure with green spikey hair asked the woman in the black cloak. "Did you give the kid the Philosopher's Stone?"

"I gave it to his friend," Lust replied. "She will give to him."

"You were to give it directly to the kid!" the palm tree-like man complained.

"Relax, Envy," Lust smiled. "She'll give it to him, no doubt. And then he'll open the gate."


	9. Chapter 9: The Near-Fatal Decision

**Nine: The Near-Fatal Decision**

I sat on my bed back at home and stared at the Philosopher's Stone in the vial. It was right there, right in front of me, what I've been searching for. Yet, the fact that it was made of human lives made me doubt using it.

I reached into the drawer in my desk and pulled out a photo of my father. I imagined bring him back to life, to see him smiling again, and maybe my mom would be less depressed.

I took in a deep breath. "I'm gonna do it..." I said to myself. "But I can't tell Freya...she'd just lecture me about the chances of something going wrong. But everyone would be happy if I brought him back to life."

.

.

.

_Several weeks later..._

"35 liters of carbon. 20 kilograms of water. 4 liters of ammonia. 1.5 kilograms of lime. Phosphorus, 800 grams. Salt, 250 grams. 100 grams of saltpeter. 80 grams of sulfur. Fluorine, 7.5 grams. Iron, 5 grams. 3 grams of silicon. And trace amounts of fifteen other elements..." I looked down at my list. "...yep, that's all the ingredients of a human body."

I looked down at the pile of ingredients. "Now all I need is a soul..."

I took a knife and made a small cut in my finger. I let the blood drip into the pile.

The pile was in the center of a large human transmutation circle I had drawn. Everything was going according to plan so far.

I put the Philosopher's Stone in my pocket. I pressed my hands onto the circle. "Here we go," I muttered.

The room began to glow. The outline of the circle had lit up. It created a breeze that swept through the room. Bolts of energy shot in every direction.

But suddenly, instead of it glowing a bright white, it turned into a dark purple. The energy turned into what looked like black shadows that danced around the circle.

"What the hell?" I said and looked around the room. "This isn't supposed the happen!"

All I could do was stare. I couldn't move.

Then, before I knew it, my left arm had disappeared and I was transported to a large white room with nothing but a gate and the gate's keeper.

.

.

.

Freya opened the door of my house. She knew that my sister and mother had gone to run some errands in the village. "Negi?" she called. "Where are you?"

She looked in almost every room in the house and couldn't find me.

She opened the door that lead to my basement. "Negi? You down here?"

She continued down the stairs and then stopped and stared at the bloody mess.

I sat in the corner of the room, holding my shoulder. My arm was gone. What was in the center of the circle, what used to be the pile of ingredients...what it turned into...

It wasn't even human.

Freya covered her mouth with her hands and screamed. I looked up at her. "Freya...!"

She ran to me. "Negiiiiiii!" Tears spilled over her eyes. She took off her jacket and wrapped it around my shoulder. "What the hell did you do?!"

"Human Transmutation," I said and half-smiled. "Ed was right. The Philosopher's Stone wasn't enough. My arm was taken as well." I slapped my right hand on my face. "I'm such an idiot."

"Shut up!" she exclaimed. She stood up. "I'm gonna go get help!"

"Go get Mustang," I said.

She nodded and ran up the stairs.

.

.

.

I lost consciousness and the whole incident ran through my mind like a nightmare.

After my arm was taken, I found myself in the middle of nowhere. The surroundings were completely white, except for a large gate.

"Where the hell am I?!" I yelled. "What just hap—"

"Hello." A crisp voice interrupted. I turned and saw a white figure sitting there.

"Who...who are you?"

"Ah, you want to know who I am!" It grinned evilly. "You might know me as God. I am the universe, I am Truth, I am all, I am one. And..." It pointed at me. "I am you."

The gate behind me opened. I turned around slowly and looked at the large eye that was within it. Several shadow-like arms reached out and grabbed me. I tried running away, but they pulled me into the door.

"Now, foolish alchemist," Truth said. "You will get what you wished for."

.

.

.

All of the knowledge of alchemy was being poured into my brain. It felt like my head was going to explode. "Stop!" I shouted. "It's too much at once! Damn, stop it!"

Going through that gate was like nothing I had ever felt before. The pressure was strong. I felt like I was going insane.

And then, just for a second, it all made sense. The truth about Human Transmutation.

I reached out desperately. "Dad!"

But I was brought back. I was with Truth again.

"Did you have fun?" Truth asked and smirked.

I tried to catch my breath. I turned around at the gate. "That's it," I said. "It can be done, Human Transmutation...but its missing something!" I looked at Truth. "Show it to me again, please!"

"I can't do that," Truth said. "I've shown you all I can." It stood up. "Now...how will you be paying?"

"Paying...?" I repeated. "Oh, yeah!" I pulled the Philosopher's Stone out of my pocket. "I have your payment right here!"

Truth cackled. "Silly child...that will not be enough. I'll have to take this, too."

I cocked my head to the side. "Huh?"

I looked down to see my left arm disappearing. I stared in horror. "What the hell?!"

"I hope you've learned your lesson, young alchemist," Truth snickered in my face.

.

.

.

I found myself back in my basement again. My shoulder was bleeding. I held it tightly. "No, goddammit!" I yelled. I fell forward. I looked up to see if my dad was there.

He wasn't.

Whatever it was, _whatever the hell it was,_ it wasn't human.

The body was completely black. It had beady red eyes and stared at me. It tried reached out, but its arm fell to the ground.

"No, Dad...this is wrong...this can't be happening..."

.

.

.

I opened my eyes. I was still in my basement, except I wasn't alone anymore. Freya was standing with some soldiers and Roy was kneeling down next to me, shaking my shoulders, yelling "Steel Soul! Wake up, dammit!"

Freya ran closer to me. "Negi!"

Roy shook me again. "Are you okay?!"

I looked at my arm. "I dunno," I said quietly. "My arm is gone."

"What the hell happened?!" Mustang asked.

I felt really weak from the blood loss.

I lost consciousness again.


	10. Chapter 10: So Many Visitors

**Ten: So Many Visitors**

I woke up in a military hospital bed the next morning. I lifted my head and looked around. Two military officers sat in chairs across the room. One of them looked up and saw that I had awoken.

"Ah, he's awake!" she said and nudged the man sitting next to her.

They both stood. "Good morning, Major Kain, sir!"

The woman saluted. "I'm 2nd Lieutenant Sakura Hayes!"

"And I'm 2nd Lieutenant Katuro Chiba!" the man said. "We are to keep watch of you while you are recovering, sir! Please don't mind us!"

I sighed. "No need to be so formal to a kid..."

"But, sir..." Sakura said.

I looked at her. "Please. Don't be so formal."

She stared at me for a minute. Then she nodded. "As you wish."

"So, Maj— I mean, Negima..." Katuro stuttered. "How did you lose your arm, if you don't mind me asking?"

I looked away. "I..."

There was a knock at the door. Sakura stood up and opened it.

I looked up. Freya was standing in the doorway. Her eyes were kind of red and there was a tissue in her hand, so I knew she was crying.

"Negi..." she said. Her eyes fell on the shoulder that no longer had an arm attached. Tears came to her eyes.

Someone else knocked on the door. Roy Mustang walked in. He glared and stomped over to me. He clenched his hand into a fist and punched me across the face. "You damn idiot!"

Shocked, I stared up at him. "Ow, Colonel! That freaking hurt!"

"What the hell is wrong with you, Steel Soul?!" he asked furiously. "Didn't the Elrics warn you about Human Transmutation?!

I wouldn't take me gaze off of him. There was fire in his eyes.

"What were you thinking?!" Roy continued to yell.

"I was thinking I would bring him back," I replied.

His face softened slightly.

"Yell and punch me all you want, Colonel," I went on. "It won't make a difference."

He pulled back. He straightened his jacket. "You idiot..." he said, looked away from me with disgust, and walked out of the room.

Freya walked closer to me. "Are you okay...?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm fine..."

She squeezed her eyes closed and tried not to cry.

And then, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She broke down on the floor and cried the hardest I've ever seen. I got out of bed and kneeled down next to her. "Freya, it's okay..."

She looked up at me. She continued to cry.

I stood up and held my hand out to her. She took it and stood. I pulled her into my chest. She held onto me tightly and cried the hardest I had ever seen her.

.

.

.

An hour later, I sat in bed, and only Sakura and Katuro were in the room with me. Freya had gone home with Riza.

Edward and Alphonse walked through the open door. They both stared at me. I faced Edward.

He looked down at my shoulder. He sighed angrily. "Let me guess; human transmutation?"

I paused for a moment. "Yeah."

Alphonse gasped. "You mean you—"

"I committed the taboo, yes," I interrupted. "Scold me all you want."

And there was yet _another _knock at the door. A pretty blonde girl with her hair pulled into a high ponytail stepped into the room. "Ed?"

"Ah, Winry," Ed turned to her. "This is Negima."

She walked to me. "Hi, I'm Winry Rockbell," she said and stuck her hand out to me.

I shook it with my right arm. "I'm Negima Kain..."

She stared at my left shoulder. "Your arm is gone..."

I nodded.

"Winry is an automail mechanic," Ed explained. "She gave me my arm and leg."

"Yeah," Winry said softly. "Ed told me what you did..."

"Wait, Ed, how did you know?" I asked, confused.

"Colonel Mustang told us," Ed said. "He seemed really pissed off, so we asked him why."

"So because you're a State Alchemist," Winry went on. "I'm guessing might want two arms to use alchemy. So if you want, me and my grandma can give you an automail arm."

"Really?" I asked. "But doesn't the surgery and recovery take forever?"

"Usually, it takes about three years," Winry explained. "Actually, Ed recovered in only one."

I thought for a minute. "If it took the shorty a year, I'll do it in less than that. Okay, I'll take it."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A MICRO-SIZED BEAN SHORTY?!"

.

.

.

The next day, my mother and Anouk came to visit me. Mustang had called them and told them everything without my knowing. When they came in, I was surprised.

"Mom?!" I exclaimed.

"Negima..." she said and wiped her eyes with a tissue. She always called me Negima when she was mad or disappointed in me. I guessed it was both.

Katuro stood up. "Ma'am would you like to sit down?" he asked, and offered her his chair.

She nodded silently and sat down. She rested her head in her hands and sobbed.

"Mom, don't cry..." I said, even though I was on the verge of tears myself.

"Negi..." Anouk touched my left shoulder. "Did you bring Daddy back?"

My mom cried harder. I finally broke down in tears. "Shut up, Anouk...just shut up..."

Just then, an officer walked into the room. "2nd Lieutenant Chiba, 2nd Lieutenant Hayes," he said. "I must speak with you for a moment."

They both saluted. "Yes sir," Sakura said. "Excuse us, Major Kain."

"Did you bring Daddy back? Did you?" Anouk kept asking. I was about ready to throw her out the window.

Sakura and Katuro came back in. "Mrs. Kain," Katuro said. "The Fuhrer would like to have a word with you."

"The Fuhrer?!" Mom asked and sat up. She wiped her eyes. "Whatever for?"

"We are unsure of the details," Sakura explained. "But we were ordered to tell you that Fuhrer Bradley has invited you to tea and to have a long chat."

"Well, if it's the Fuhrer's orders, then..." she trailed off. "Very well."

"I'll escort you," Sakura offered. "2nd Lieutenant, stay here and watch the Major."

"Yes," Katuro saluted to her.

Anouk took my mom's hand and they left to room with 2nd Lieutenant Hayes.

Katuro sat down. "Sir, may I ask again, how did you lose your arm?"

"Human Transmutation," I replied. "I tried to resurrect my father, and I lost my arm in the process."

He gasped. "Isn't Human Transmutation against the law?!"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm sure the Fuhrer knows by now and that's what he wanted to talk to my mother about. I could lose my State Alchemist title, or even worse."

"Wow..." Katuro leaned back against the chair.

Sakura came back into the room. "Major Kain," she said. "Fuhrer Bradley would like to speak with you."

I sighed. "Of course..." I muttered. "Alright."

I got out of bed and grabbed my jacket. I put it around my shoulders. I stepped into my slippers and followed 2nd Lieutenant Hayes to the Fuhrer's office.


	11. Chapter 11: Fuhrer Bradley and His Son

**Eleven: Fuhrer Bradley and His Son**

"Ah, the Steel Soul Alchemist," Fuhrer Bradley said as I entered his office. "Please come in. I've already had the chance to speak to your mother, and now I would like to speak to _you_."

I sighed. "Yes, sir," I said.

I took a seat in one of the chairs facing the Fuhrer's desk. He was sitting there, his elbows resting on the desk, and his head was resting on his hands. And his eye was staring at me. And I was sure the one under the eye patch was too.

"Now, Negima..." His eyes narrowed. "Is what Colonel Mustang told me true? Have you performed Human Transmutation?"

I paused for a moment. "Yes, sir, I have..."

"Interesting..." Fuhrer Bradley picked up his cup of tea and sipped it. "Would you like some?" he said, motioning to the cup.

"No thanks," I replied.

"Mm hmm..." he murmured. "Back on topic... you _are_ aware that Human Transmutation is strictly forbidden and is against the law, correct?"

"Yes, sir," I looked down at the floor.

"You've broken a serious rule..." he went on. "You could lose your State Alchemist title or be put in prison for a number of years."

"I'm aware, sir."

He smirked. "I like your attitude," he remarked. "How about this: I won't strip you of your title, and you won't do time in prison, but I have a job for you to do as punishment. I will have the hospital release you tomorrow night, and afterwards you are to come back to your room until you're fully recovered. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Thank you, sir," I said, and half-smiled in relief. "What is this job you would like me to do?"

.

.

.

I stood with His Excellency in front of his large mansion. A woman and a small boy stood in front of the entrance.

"Your punishment..." the Fuhrer said. "...is to babysit my son."

I blinked. "But don't you have people to do that already? Like people you hired?"

"Yes I do," he chuckled. "But I gave them the night off so you can do this job!"

I groaned.

His son tugged on my coat. "Wow, the second youngest State Alchemist ever!" he admired. "I wanna be an alchemist too, Mr. Negima! Can you teach me?"

I laughed. "I'd love to," I lied. "But I can't right now. Alchemy is very complicated. And I'd need both my arms to teach you."

"Aw..." he pouted. "I want someone to teach me alchemy so I can help Dad!"

"Selim, dear," Mrs. Bradley smiled. "You'll have to wait a little longer."

"He's growing up to be a very respectable boy, no?" the Fuhrer asked his wife. He laughed. "Well, we have to be going. We'll be home after midnight. Selim, behave for the Major, okay?"

"Okay, Dad!" Selim smiled brightly.

And with that, they left.

I turned to Selim. "Alright, what do you want to do?"

"Show me alchemy!" he ordered.

"I'm sorry, but I can't right now," I said.

"Please?" His eyes lit up. "I'll complain to Daddy if you don't."

I sighed. "One-handed alchemy is harder," I explained. "But it's possible. I can't teach you, but I'll show you, okay?"

"Yay!"

I realized that I wasn't wearing my transmutation circle wristbands. So I grabbed a wooded stick and drew one into the dirt. "Alright Selim, here we go!" I kneeled down and pressed my right hand against the circle. It glowed blue and the ground around it transformed and created a rocking horse-looking sculpture.

Selim stared at it in awe. "Whoa! No wonder you became an alchemist at such a young age! You're the second youngest State Alchemist, right?"

"Yeah, Edward Elric is only two years younger than me."

"You're way better than the short alchemist!" Selim smiled.

I laughed. "I'll make sure to tell him you think so."

Selim giggled. "So, Mr. Negima..."

"Just call me Negi," I said, and bent down to his height.

"Okay, Negi," he said. "Why did you become a State Alchemist?"

I knew I couldn't tell him the truth. "Well, I want to change the world with my alchemy!" I said with fake pride. "I want to save innocent people who lack the ability I have! I want to make this country a safer place!"

Selim bought my act. "You're a real hero, Negi!" His eyes sparkled. "I want to be just like you when I grow up!"

.

.

.

Later that night, at just about midnight, the Fuhrer and his wife came home. Selim was sound asleep.

"Did Selim behave well?" Fuhrer Bradley asked when he got out of his car.

"Yes, sir," I said. "He was no trouble at all."

"Did you show him some of your alchemy?" Mrs. Bradley smiled at me.

"Yes, I did, and he seemed to be impressed."

"Selim really looks up to you and Edward," she said. "He's so determined to help his father."

The Fuhrer chuckled. "Maybe you or Edward could teach him to be an alchemist someday," he suggested.

"I'd love to, sir," I said. "After I get a new arm."

"Speaking of which," he chimed in. "Have you found an automail mechanic yet?"

"Yes sir. The Elrics' childhood friend."

"Excellent. I will have the hospital release you as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir."

I turned to walk away, and Fuhrer Bradley stopped me. "Ah, Negima, I almost forgot."

"Hmm?"

"Is it true that you used a Philosopher's Stone in your Human Transmutation?"

I hesitated. "Yes sir."

"And where might have you gotten one, Major Kain?"

"I'm honestly not sure," I explained. "Someone brought it to the military inn I was staying at and gave it to my friend to give to me. Neither of us knows who it was, even though she claimed to be a family friend."

"Interesting..." the Fuhrer slapped his hand on my shoulder. "You be careful with strangers like that, Negima. The enemy is always watching."

"Yes sir."

And with that, I walked away from the mansion. His Excellency offered me a ride to the hospital, but I said I'd rather walk. I needed time to think.

"The enemy is always watching," I repeated to myself. "What the hell could that mean...?"

I shook my head. "Dammit, if that bitch never gave me the Philosopher's Stone, none of this would've happened..."


	12. Chapter 12: Freya (Almost) Goes Home

**Twelve: Freya (Almost) Goes Home**

I went in the hospital's main entrance. The nurse at the front desk looked up and saw me. "Ah, Major Kain. You're back."

"Yeah."

"Your friend came to visit you while you were gone," she continued. "I'm not sure if she's still there."

"Thanks."

I walked to my room and opened the door. Freya was sitting in the chair next to my bed, asleep.

I closed the door and smiled. "Freya, wake up."

She blinked her eyes open and looked at me. "Negi..."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "More importantly, are _you_ okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry," I assured her. "I've gotten used not having my arm."

She looked at the floor.

"Freya..."

The door to my room flew open. I turned around to see Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye standing in the doorway.

"Come to punch me some more, Colonel?" I said sarcastically. "I told you it won't help anything."

"Shut up, Steel Soul," Mustang said, annoyed. "Talking to a superior officer like that...you're just digging yourself deeper."

I glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"We simply came to check on you," Riza said. "2nd Lieutenant Hayes and 2nd Lieutenant Chiba are off duty, so we decided to come and take their place until they arrive."

"Great..." I moaned. I was hoping just to talk to Freya without any interruptions, but the Colonel ruined that.

"Steel Soul," Roy said. "How much longer until they let you out of here?"

"The Fuhrer said he'd have them release me as soon as possible."

"Oh yeah, did His Excellency tell you he will put you on leave until you're fully recovered from the automail surgery? So as of right now, you aren't the Steel Soul Alchemist."

"I couldn't care less right now," I replied. "As long as I'm not fired, I don't need the job right now."

"And," Roy went on. "There are rumors that Amestris and Drachma might start a new war."

"What?!"

"It's not official yet," he said. "But that's what we heard from the Briggs soldiers."

"God dammit," I muttered. "First Ishval, now this?"

"Calm down, it's only a rumor from General Armstrong."

I sighed. "Why is Amestris always in a war?"

There was a moment of silence.

Freya stood up. "Negi...I'm gonna go home."

"To Vanhaven?"

"Yeah."

"Why?!" I asked. "We've gotten so far!"

"It's gonna take you a while to recover from your automail," she said. "You're gonna have to go to Resembool with Edward and Alphonse, and I don't want to be a burden. I'll go home until you're ready to go again."

I thought for a minute. "Wait...'ready to go again'?" I repeated. "The whole point of traveling was to find a way to revive my father. I tried, I failed. And I'll never try again. I guess we're done searching for the Philosopher's Stone..."

"But maybe we could start searching for something else..." she said.

"What?"

"She's right." Mustang seemed to be thinking of the same this Freya was.

"What else would we search for?"

"A way to get your arm back, retard!" She slapped me. "Isn't it obvious?"

"How the hell would we do that?" I asked. "My arm's gone. How the hell are we gonna get it back?"

"It depends," Mustang said. "How did you lose it?"

"I...I really don't know," I said. "I went to some sort of gate, and this weird guy made it disappear."

"Weird guy...?" Freya repeated.

"It was a shadow or something, but it called itself 'God' and 'Truth' and then said it was me."

"Did that weird guy take your brain or something?" Roy asked sarcastically. "That's ridiculous."

"I'm serious!" I pouted.

"Okay, calm down," he went on. "So we need to find a way to get to this gate and make 'Truth' give it back."

"But...how?"

"I don't know. But right now, be focused on getting your automail." Roy crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I know. I'm going to Resembool with Edward, Alphonse and Winry as soon as I'm released."

Mustang glanced down at his watch. "Well... Lieutenant Hawkeye and I must be going now. Lieutenant Hayes and 2nd Lieutenant Chiba should be arriving any minute."

I saluted. "Alright. Goodbye."

And they left.

I looked at Freya. And suddenly, I broke down. Something cracked. I fell to the floor and cried.

"Negi...?" She kneeled next to me.

"Freya..." I tried to explain it.

She rested her hand on my back. "Chill. Stop crying." But I could tell that she was crying as well.

"I... I've dragged you all around Amestris for two years now...you could be at home or something. But you stayed with me this entire time. Why...?"

"Negi, we've been through it all together. And if you did manage to revive your father, I wanted to be there with you. But now, I want to be there when you get your arm back. I'm not leaving you."

I blinked at her.

She blushed. "I mean, of course I wouldn't leave you! You're my best friend! Like a brother!" She laughed nervously.

I smiled. "Freya...you idiot." I stood up and put my hand on her head. I ruffled her hair. "Same to you."

She stood up as well, tears in her eyes, and hugged me. "Thank you..."

Freya didn't have the greatest childhood. Her father is an abusive bastard to her and her mother. She has a tough appearance: never wears dresses, is usually covered in bruises, and doesn't care about her looks. She says I was the best thing she ever had...

She's like a sister to me more than anything. I mean, not like Anouk. Like one of those cool siblings who you love to hang out with. Yeah, that's what she is...

I cleared my throat. "Well...I should be getting released from here soon, so I have to go to Resembool..."

"And I'll have to go back to my father in Vanhaven..." she said, and looked kind of nervous.

She was afraid of her father. After all, he likes to beat the shit out of her. I could tell she didn't want to go back.

"Why don't you come with me?" I offered. "You can stay with the Rockbells too."

"Really?!" Her eyes lit up.

"Yeah. I'm gonna need you there while I'm recovering."

"Okay." She smiled.

I looked down at my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot." I laughed. "You, my mother, Anouk, and my father, everyone...because of my carelessness and greed, you're all hurting because of me..."

"You _are_ an idiot." She slapped me lightly. "But as long as you get your arm back in the end, it'll be worth it. And besides...wouldn't your father be proud?"

"Proud?" I repeated. "He'd be disgusted."

"Maybe not," Freya explained. "You put your life on the line to try to get back his. You care about him so much that you were ready to die for him. You lost an arm trying. It's the thought that counts. I think he'd be very proud."

I thought about it. "Yeah...maybe he would..."

"Now, get some rest," she said. "I'm going back to the military inn. I'll be back in the morning."

2nd Lieutenant Chiba and 2nd Lieutenant Hayes opened the door and peeked inside. They walked in. "Hello, Major Kain! Miss Datsu!"

I saluted. Freya bowed.

"Well, I'll be going now." She hugged me. "Bye."

She left and closed the door behind her.

Katuro smirked at me. "Pretty girlfriend you have there. Nice job."

"She's not my girlfriend!" I exclaimed. "She's just a friend. Like a sister to me. Yeah, like family!"

"Whatever you saaaay..." Sakura said in a sing-song voice.


	13. Chapter 13: Automail Time

**Thirteen: Automail Time**

I woke up the next morning to knocking on the door. Katuro opened it, and Mustang and Hawkeye walked inside.

"Steel Soul," Roy said. "You're getting released today. Edward, Alphonse, and Miss Rockbell are on their way over. You and Miss Datsu will go with them back to Resembool, correct?"

"Yes sir," I said.

Roy shook his head. "I still can't believe this."

"Hm?"

"This whole ordeal with your Human Transmutation," he went on. "I'm your commanding officer, and Fuhrer Bradley's not exactly pleased that I didn't know you would do this."

"I'm sorry, Colonel," I hung my head. "Honestly. I'm hurting so many people, and Bradley's pissed at you..."

Roy looked away from me and sighed. "As long as you're fine and you'll be fine, it doesn't matter. Especially if you'll get your arm back in the long run."

I smiled. "Thanks, Colonel."

"Major Kain, sir, may I speak?" Riza said suddenly.

"Oh, uh, yeah, of course."

"The most important thing about this ordeal is not hurting others, but you also are putting yourself through a lot of pain. Everyone who you've hurt is not hurting as badly as you are. So please, sir, worry about yourself before you worry about others."

I stared at her. She's always so quiet. But apparently she has a lot inside of her.

Roy nodded. "Thanks, Lieutenant. I couldn't have said it better."

"I understand what you're saying, Lieutenant. Thank you," I said.

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind the door. It was open a crack, so the person peeked inside. "May I come in?"

"Fuhrer Bradley!" I exclaimed

Riza opened the door.

"Your Excellency," Mustang saluted. "May I ask what brings you here?"

"Ah, yes," Bradley said. "It seems Mr. Kain has recovered and is being released from the hospital. I just came to check on him." He walked over to me. "Hello, Major. Are you happy to leave this place?"

"Yes, sir," I smiled awkwardly.

"I checked with the Elric Brothers and their automail mechanic. They should be arriving soon. I also checked on your friend, Miss Datsu, and I gave her a ride here. She went to the restroom, but should be here any second now."

Sure enough, Freya walked through the open door. She stood next to Fuhrer Bradley. "Hey Negi. You ready for this?"

I nodded.

"You will be put on leave until you're completely healed and recovered. May I have your pocket watch?" he asked.

I handed it to him.

"Thank you. And, after you've fully recovered, you may resume your job as a State Alchemist, and I'll give you your watch back. Until then, I wish you well." Fuhrer Bradley left the room.

Freya reached into the backpack she was carrying. She pulled out a brown bracelet that was identical to the one she was wearing. She handed it to me. "Here."

I took it from her. It had a small gray circle on it and it said her name in black letters.

She took hers off and showed it to me. Hers said "Negi".

I looked up at her. "A friendship bracelet? That's kinda...girly..."

"And I'm a girl!" she growled, sticking her tongue out at me. "Keep this on while you're recovering," she said and tied her bracelet back on her arm. "I hope you'll get your new arm and be back on your feet soon."

She leaned over and tied my bracelet on my right wrist.

I hugged her. "Thanks. I'll wear it all the time."

She smiled.

Soon, we saw Ed, Al, and Winry walk in the room.

Ed half-smiled. "You ready for hell?"

I nodded.

.

.

.

A military car drove us all back to the Rockbell house. When we arrived, we were greeted by a large black-and-white dog with an automail leg. It barked playfully.

"Hush, Den," said a short old woman who emerged from the house. She took the tobacco pipe out of her mouth and looked at me. "I'm guessing you're Negi? Ed and Al have been telling me about you."

"Good things, I hope," I said and smiled awkwardly.

"Come inside. You must be starving for a good meal instead of what that hospital feeds you."

.

.

.

After we were all seated at the dinner table, the old woman gave us a wide assortment of good-looking food. She sat down as well. "Eat all you can. There's plenty to go around."

"Thank you, Ms. Rockbell," I said thankfully, and dug in to the food.

"Don't be so formal. Call me Pinako," she said.

"Right."

We all ate like it was the last meal we'd ever have. I was starving, and sick of the hospital food.

Afterwards, Pinako had Freya and I talk with her in the living room. Ed, Al, and Winry joined us.

"So," Pinako began. "Edward told me that you have also committed the taboo..."

I looked at the ground shamefully. "Yes..."

"I'm surprised the goddamn military didn't kick you out. If any of the higher-ups found out about Edward, he'd be court-martialed."

I nodded.

"Anyway...we'll start your automail surgery tomorrow. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely," I replied.

"The surgery will take three years, more or less, but Edward managed to do it only one."

"If he can do it in one, I'll do it in half," I said, determined.

Winry gasped.

"I have to get back to work as soon as possible," I added.

Pinako nodded. "Very well. However, you'll be coughing up blood and be in a lot of pain."

I stared at the bracelet Freya gave me. "I'll make it."

"Alright. We begin tomorrow."


	14. Chapter 14: Steel Soul is Back!

**Fourteen: Steel Soul is Back!**

After it was all over, Freya told me that she sat outside my room each day during my surgery and listened to my screams. She said she cried every single day. She was allowed in at the end of the day, when I was trying to sleep. She always held my hand and said "You'll be alright," and toyed with my bracelet.

And when I couldn't sleep, she'd just stay up for the whole night and talk to me. She'd make me feel better, even though I was in great pain. Just her being there, holding my hand, made all the difference.

When Pinako and Winry were connecting the nerves to my automail, they allowed Freya to be in my room, and she just squeezed my hand to try to calm me down. It hurt like hell, but she made it somewhat manageable.

And after the surgery was all done and I was recovering, Freya always stayed with me. She helped me get used to moving my arm, and when I could, we sparred together.

Finally, about six months after it began, I was all recovered with my new arm. Freya and I thanked Pinako and Winry, and I paid them and left. We went to Fuhrer Bradley's office so I could resume my job as the Steel Soul Alchemist.

A soldier let us inside His Excellency's office. Bradley looked up from his desk and his eyes widened. "Well, well, well..." he said. "Looks like you got your new arm."

"Yes sir," I saluted.

He opened up a drawer or his desk and pulled out my watch. He threw it to me. "Welcome back, Steel Soul Alchemist," he smirked.

"Thank you, sir." And we left for Mustang's office.

We knocked on the door, and Lieutenant Hawkeye opened it. She looked surprised. "You're back already? That was a fast recovery."

I moved my automail arm around. "Yeah, but it's fine." I smiled.

She smiled back and opened the door further. "Please come in."

When we walked in, I saw Mustang, sitting at his desk. He looked up at me in shock. "Steel Soul!" he exclaimed.

I took the watch out of my pocket and held it out with my automail arm. "I'm back!"

He smirked. "Looks like you need a job to do."

I grunted.

"A while ago, the Elrics went to a town in the East called Liore, and it was ruled by an evil priest who fooled everyone into believe a silly religion. Since Edward and Alphonse exposed the priest's lies, there have been riots and a lot of violence going on." Mustang turned to me. "I want you to go check on the riots and try to stop them, if possible."

I blinked. "What."

"Good luck, Negima," Mustang turned his chair around so the back was to me. "Get to work."

.

.

.

Luckily, there was a train leaving Central that was going East, and one of the stops was in Liore. We boarded the train and sat down.

"Wow, ten minutes in Central and you already have a new job to do," Freya remarked.

"Yeah, I have a feeling that Colonel just wanted to get rid of me for some reason. Maybe he's hiding something..."

"Stop being so suspicious," Freya slapped me. "Maybe he just needed someone to do this job and you were the first one to come to him. Who knows?"

"Whatever," I mumbled. "I'm tired. I'm gonna sleep. Wake me up when we get there."

"Fine."

.

.

.

"Negi, wake up."

I blinked my eyes open. Freya was shaking me. "We're here?"

"Almost."

I sat up and stretched. I looked down at my automail. "I'm sorry, Freya. For everything."

"Hm?" She looked at me.

"With this whole ordeal about my arm, you said you cried every day while sitting outside of my room. I must've hurt you a lot. I'm sorry for everything I've done." Tears rolled down my cheeks and I turned away from her.

She grabbed my automail hand. "Don't be sorry. I understand." She turned my head towards her and wiped my face with the back of her hand. "Don't cry."

I couldn't stop crying. "I can pretty much take anything...but I can't take hurting you... I'm sorry, Freya..."

"Negi..." She sighed and smiled. "I'm fine, really. As long as you're okay."

I rubbed my arm on my face. The train pulled into the Liore station. I stood up and ran past Freya and off the train.

"Negi! Wait!" She ran after me.

I had no idea where I was going. I just had to get away.

I went down a dark alley and stopped to catch my breath. I slid down the wall of one of the buildings.

I continued to cry. Every time I looked down at my arm, I cried harder. Because of my careless mistake, I put everyone, and myself, through a shitload of pain.

Freya eventually found me in the alley. She kneeled down in front of me and grabbed my shoulders. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" she said, and shook me.

I grabbed her wrists and pushed her hands away. "Stop."

Her eyes widened.

"Everyone's suffering because of me. I can't take it anymore."

Freya's serious face softened. "Negi..."

"I made you cry every single day. I guarantee my mom's been crying. I made the Colonel look bad to the Fuhrer. I put a burden on Katuro and Sakura. I've just been a bother to everyone lately. And I've been keeping it all inside for so long."

"I cry every single day anyway!" Freya exclaimed.

I blinked up at her.

"I always cried every day! I didn't just start because of you! And your mom...she cares about you. All the Colonel cares about it how he looks to his superiors, not if you're hurt or anything like that! Katuro and Sakura are just doing their job and they actually care about you! You're not a bother to _anyone_! And don't keep it inside or you'll keep having breakdowns like this! Just come and talk to me! Jeez, Negi, your breakdowns are what hurts everyone most!"

I could tell she wanted to cry. But she didn't want to look weak after such a strong speech like that. She bit her lip and stared at me with a serious look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said. I wiped my face on my sleeve. "You're right." I stood up. I smiled at her. "Sorry. And thanks. I'd be lost without you."

She punched my arm. "Hell yeah you would."

"Now...let's look around the town for these riots Mustang told us about."

.

.

.

Liore looked like a war zone. There were orphaned kids sitting on the sides of streets, people were fighting and arguing. I kneeled down to one of the kids. "Hey there," I said.

He looked up, and then back down.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Hama," he said, without looking up.

"Hi, Hama. I'm Negi. I'm a State Alchemist."

He shot up and stared at me, his eyes wide and almost bulging out of his head. "You're from the military?!"

"Yeah, why?"

He stood up. "Run, everyone! This bastard is from the military!"

Everyone around me ran away. Adults grabbed their children and fled. Others stayed and looked like they were about to hurt me.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" one man yelled.

I put my hands up. "Calm down, everyone!"

"Why should we?!"

"You're a military dog!"

"You're going to hurt us like the rest of them!"

"Hold on, hold on," I interrupted. "I'm not going to hurt you!" I looked over at Freya. "Let's go."

We left the town and went back to the train station. We sat down on a bench.

"Dammit!" I slapped my forehead. "Mustang's gonna be pissed. We barely spent five minutes in town and we're already being hated on. What the hell?"

"Call the Colonel," Freya said. "There's a phone over there."

I stood up and walked to the phone. I dialed Mustang's number and held the phone to my ear.

"Yes? This is Mustang," I heard from the receiver.

"Yeah, hi Colonel. It's Negi."

"Are you in Liore?"

"Yeah," I replied. "But, we were surrounded by a crowd of people who hate the military and they chased us out."

"We'll have to send in backup," Roy said, annoyed. "You guys can come back to Central. Meet me in my office when you get there."

And he hung up.

"Well?" Freya asked.

"We have to go meet Mustang back in his office," I said. "He seemed pretty mad. I'm gonna go get a train schedule, I'll be back."


	15. Chapter 15: So We Meet Again

**Fifteen: So We Meet Again**

I picked up a train schedule, and headed back to the bench where Freya was sitting.

She wasn't there.

I looked around. She was nowhere in sight.

An old woman walked past me. "Looking for something?" she asked, her voice shaky from age.

"Someone," I replied. "Have you seen a teenage girl with red hair and blue eyes around here?"

"Ah, yes," the woman said. "She was walking away with what looked like an Ishvalan man. He had a hood over his head, so I didn't get a good look at his face. But he seemed tall and muscular."

"Damn..." I said to myself. "Which way did she go?"

The woman pointed to an exit of the train station.

I ran in that direction. "Thanks, ma'am!" I called over my shoulder.

_ Damn, Scar!_ I thought as I ran. _He got Freya...again!_

Suddenly, I saw them. He held Freya over his shoulder. I ran even faster, and I yelled, "Give her back, you son of a bitch!"

He turned around and glared at me for a moment. Then he went around a corner and out of my sight.

"Get back here!" I screamed, and followed him.

Suddenly, Maes Hughes, in a car, pulled up beside me. He rolled down the side window. "Scar got Freya again?"

I was never so happy to see anyone from the military.

I nodded and pulled the side door open. I jumped inside. "Step on it."

Maes stepped on the gas.

"Hey Lieutenant-Colonel, why'd you come here?"

"Colonel Mustang was on the phone with Freya," he said. "She called him because she said she spotted Scar in the station. And then there was a scream, and someone hung up the phone. So Roy sent me over here."

We caught up to Scar. "Hey, give Freya back!" I yelled out the window.

He looked up at me, and then stopped. Hughes braked, and the car skidded to a stop.

Hughes and I got out. Hughes pointed his gun in Scar's direction, and I ran towards him.

Scar slammed his right arm on the ground, and his tattoo glowed. The ground in front of him broke apart, and created a cloud of dust. When it cleared, he and Freya were gone.

"Dammit!" I yelled.

Hughes ran past me. "This way!" he called back to me.

.

.

.

Scar hid himself and Freya inside an abandoned building on the edge of Liore. He set her down on the floor, and sat next to her. He leaned back against the wall.

Freya opened her eyes. She looked over, and screeched when she saw Scar.

He put her neck in a headlock and covered her mouth. "Quiet, girl!"

He looked towards the door and listened for someone coming.

But, he was surprised when he felt something cold and wet on his hand. He looked down to see Freya, crying. He let go of her and stood up. He looked back at her, a bitter look on his face, and then ran from the building without saying a word.

Freya, still crying, yelled my name.

And I heard her. Hughes and I were able to find her, and we ran inside the doorway and we saw her sitting of the floor.

We ran to her. "Are you okay?!" I asked, and grabbed her shoulders.

She nodded.

"Say something!"

She shook her head.

"She must be too traumatized or something," Hughes concluded. "She should be fine in a little while."

"Can you stand?" I asked.

She shrugged.

Hughes put his gun back in its holster. He kneeled down and picked Freya up. "Let's take her back to Central."

"Okay."

We took her back to the car. He put her in one of the backseats, and I sat next to her. She looked really shaken.

"Freya," I said gently. "Can you please say something?"

It seemed to take her a while to muster the strength, but she quietly said, "Yeah..."

I sighed. She could barely talk, she was so scared.

"What exactly happened?" Maes called from up front.

"I was on the phone with the Colonel..." she almost whispered. "And when I turned around, Scar was behind me. I tried to fight him off, but he knocked me unconscious...I woke up in the house, and he wrapped his arm around my neck with his hand over my mouth...and then he just got up and left..."

"We need to catch this bastard so things like this don't happen again," Hughes said, annoyed. "I'm sorry for what you went through, Freya."

"Thanks..." she squeaked.

"And," Maes added, sounding a little happier. "You and Negi can stay at my place while you're in Central. My wife Gracia is an amazing cook!"

.

.

.

We stopped in Mustang's office when we got to Central.

"Roy!" Maes said, as Riza let us through the door.

"Hughes, Steel Soul, Freya...what the hell happened?!" Mustang asked fiercely.

"Freya got attacked by Scar," I said. "It pretty much traumatized her."

"Yeah, she looks pretty shaken up..." Roy said, and stepped out from behind his desk. "You alright?"

"Yes sir," she replied quietly. "Thank you."

I looked over at her. I swung my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to me. "It's okay," I said.

Mustang sighed. "We need to catch him. And fast."

"I know," Hughes replied. "We're trying."

"This is all my fault," I said, looking down at the floor. "He's after _me_ because _I'm_ a State Alchemist. Scar keeps holding Freya hostage because of _me_. I'm sorry."

"Negi, don't pull this shit," Mustang said. "Stop putting yourself at fault. The only person who's at fault is Scar."

I grunted.

"C'mon, Negi," Maes put his hand on my head. "Don't put yourself down." He put his other hand on Freya's head. "And Freya, you'll be okay. You guys need to come home with me and relax. I bet my daughter can cheer you up!"

"Colonel, can I take a short break?" I asked. "After my recovery and now this?"

Mustang sighed. "I'll give you a week."

"What about the Liore situation?"

"I sent back-up to try to fix everything," he said. "Havoc, Chiba, Hayes, and some others."

"Alright. Thank you," I said.

"Okay, Roy, we're leaving," Maes said. "Negi, Freya, I can't wait till you guys meet my daughter!"


	16. Chapter 16: Daddy

**Sixteen: Daddy**

Freya was silent on the way to Maes's house. She stared out the window with a blank expression on her face. Maes rambled on about his daughter and his wife. I thought about everything that happened recently, and I was glad to have the week off.

"Freya," Hughes called from up from. "You okay? You haven't said a word since we left the Colonel's office."

"Yes," she said softly.

"If you're still upset over what happened with Scar, there's no need to," he said. "We're going to catch him so nothing like that will happen again." He smiled in the mirror back at Freya.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel," she said.

"Don't be so formal," Hughes laughed. "Call me Maes!"

"Thank you, Maes," Freya cracked a smile.

"That a girl," Hughes said happily. "Keep smiling. I know it was scary to be kidnapped by Scar. But you're okay now. We won't let it happen again." He looked at me in the mirror. "Right, Negi?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "Act like your old self. Don't let Scar do this to you."

Freya laughed. "Alright, alright. I'm fine, guys. Really. Thanks for caring."

"Good," Hughes said. "Now, I know something else that will cheer you up!"

.

.

.

When we reached Maes's apartment, we were greeted by a small three-year old girl who hugged his legs. "Daddy!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, princess!" Hughes picked up the girl and held her. "Negi, Freya, this is my adorable daughter Elicia! Elicia, look, we have guests!"

Elicia reached out and grabbed some of Freya's hair. "Pretty color!" she said excitedly.

"Thank you," Freya giggled. She looked at Maes. "You were right, she is adorable!"

A woman came to the doorway of the apartment. "Oh, Maes, you brought guests," she said, and smiled welcomingly.

"Gracia, this is Negi and Freya," Hughes said. "Negi and Freya, this is my beautiful wife Gracia!"

"Nice to meet you," Gracia bowed.

"You too," I said, and waved. Freya bowed back at her.

"Please come in," Gracia said, and gestured for us to enter the apartment. "We have dinner ready."

.

.

.

After we ate, Hughes gave me and Freya a room to stay in. Freya went to sleep early because of what had happened earlier that day. I was playing with Elicia when Gracia and Maes came into the living room. Gracia took Elicia to her bed. Hughes sat down on the couch next to me. "I can see why the Colonel recommended you to be a State Alchemist."

"Hm?"

"Just the way you are says it all. You seem to protect Freya with your life, and you went so far as to try to transmute your father back to life. You have a strong heart. And a soul made of steel." He grinned at me. "You're a good kid, Negi."

And then I realized it. I always thought something about Hughes was familiar. And at that moment I realized it.

He was like someone I knew.

He was like...my father.

In that moment I thought Hughes actually _was_ my dad. I started crying and reached out to hug him. It seems pretty childish, but I did it without thinking. I wanted to hug my dad again.

He just smiled and hugged me back.

Hughes is a great father. Elicia is lucky to have him.

When I pulled myself together and stopped crying, Hughes patted my head. "Strong people cry because they have been strong for too long," he said. "Remember that."

I felt embarrassed. "S-sorry...I thought for a minute you were my dad..."

He laughed. "Well, if you ever need a fatherly-figure, I'm here."

"Thank you..." I smiled.

"You've been through a lot, Negi," he said. He took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. "If you ever need to talk to anyone, come to me, Roy, Hawkeye, Havoc, any of us. We know what you've gone through."

"Yeah, not the Colonel..." I muttered.

"Why not?"

"Like he actually cares..." I said. "All he cares about is rank. When I lost my arm, all he cared about was how it made him look to his superiors..."

"You must not know Roy at all," Hughes remarked. "He actually cares about you."

"Yeah right..."

"Remember when he came into your basement and was shaking you, trying to get you to wake up? He thought you were dead. He was scared you were dead. He cared if you were dead!"

"And then he came in my hospital room and slapped me," I added.

Hughes sighed. "He wanted to make sure you were fine. He came to check on you afterwards. Just ask him yourself." He stood up. "Get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning."

"Wait, Maes!" I reached my arm out. "I'm sorry."

He grinned. He ruffled my hair. "Go to sleep."

I walked back to my room. Freya was laying in one of the beds. She lifted her head. "You're an idiot."

I stopped. "You heard all that?"

"Go to sleep, Negi," she said, and rolled over onto her side, her back facing me.

.

.

.

I opened my eyes, and I was at my house. I looked around, and I saw Anouk. She was about ten years old, two years older than she actually was. My mom was sitting on the couch, and there was a man standing next to her whose back was to me.

"Mom," I said.

They all turned around to look at me. And then I saw the man's face.

I gasped. "Dad?!"

He stood up. "Your Human Transmutation was successful, Negi," he said happily. He opened his arms. "I'm so proud of you."

Tears streamed down my face. I walked closer to him.

He hugged me.

It was the happiest moment ever.

And then, he pulled away. "Stay strong, Negi. Wake up now."

"Huh?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

He started to fade into the air.

"Dad!" I yelled. "Wait!"

"NEGI!"

I shot straight up. Freya and Maes were on either side of my bed. Freya was yelling my name.

I tried to catch my breath.

"Negi," Maes said. "You okay? You were holding onto the bed for dear life."

I rubbed my head. "Yeah, I'm fine...just a dream..."

"About your dad..." Freya said, and frowned.

"Yeah..."

"Negi, get ready to go. You're coming to work with me," Hughes said.

"But I'm off for the week," I retorted.

"You're not going there to work," he replied. "You're going there to ask Mustang something."

I grunted.


	17. Chapter 17: Military Bonds

**Seventeen: Military Bonds**

"And Roy," Maes had just finished telling Mustang the story on how cute Elicia was when she was playing with me last night. "Major Kain told me something very interesting about you..."

"Hm?" Roy looked at me. "What is it?"

Hughes laughed. "He said you only care about your rank. He said you didn't care when he lost his arm, you just cared about how it would look to your superiors."

Roy looked at me, his eyes wide. "Do you think I'm _that_ bad of a person?"

I was silent.

Roy stood up and walked to the window.

I felt guilty. "Colonel..."

He turned around.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I thought..." I paused. "That's what I thought."

"Honestly, I guess I could've been nicer about the whole Human Transmutation thing," Roy sighed. He half-smiled. "Steel Soul, I really care about you. I'm your commanding officer, after all. I'm just determined to become the next Fuhrer. Sorry if I came across the wrong way."

Hughes smirked. "You, Ed, and Al are pretty special to everyone here."

And then, the door flew open. I heard a person yell my name.

"Oh no..." I muttered.

Alex Louis Armstrong pranced in the room, reached out his beefy arms, and squeezed me against him. "Negima! How is your arm?! I could've helped you recover from your automail surgery!"

"Major, put me down!" I yelled.

He set me on the ground. "Oh, Negima! You must've gone through a painful recovery! And it only took you a short six months! Major Kain, you are an inspiration to us all!"

I moved my automail around. "I'm fine, really. It took some getting used to, but it's fine now."

"Negima, you are such a strong individual!" he gushed.

"Yeah, yeah..." I muttered. I looked around. "Hey, where'd Freya go?"

"I'm not sure," Hughes said. "Let's go look for her."

"Alright."

"So Negi," Hughes said. "Did Roy ever tell you about what we discovered?"

"No, what?"

"Well, we realized there have been a lot of riots lately. Ishval, Liore. We discovered what the Philosopher's Stone is truly made of... And with this whole Scar ordeal... We have a feeling someone is planning something against the military and the country. We're going to investigate for any possible suspects."

"That's terrible," I said.

.

.

.

Envy cackled. "That man knows too much, Lust."

"Indeed he does," Lust smirked. "What should we do?"

"We'll kill him off. We need to keep the kid alive, though. They both need to learn a lesson."

.

.

.

As Hughes was explaining more to me, we saw a young-looking woman with curly black hair run in front of us. She stopped and stared. "Oh, please help me!" she cried.

"What's wrong, ma'am?" Hughes asked.

"It's my son, he's...! He's...! Oh, just please come with me!"

Hughes looked back at me, and we both followed her into what looked like an abandoned building.

We ran inside, and the woman locked the door and laughed. "They fell right into our trap."

A bony man with long strands of green hair walked out from the shadows. "Hi, 'Mom'," he said sarcastically.

"Hughes, this isn't good," I said through my clenched teeth.

"Dammit," he cursed. "What the hell do you guys want?"

"You know too much, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," the woman said. She unzipped the jacket she was wearing to reveal a tattoo above her breasts.

"Oh!" I knew what that tattoo was. It was called an Ouroboros, and it represents a dragon eating its own tail, signifying infinity and unity. I read it in one of my dad's old alchemy books. "An Ouroboros tattoo!"

"Smart boy," the man said. "But that is sometimes your weakness."

"Eh?"

The woman stretched out her fingers at Hughes and I. Suddenly, long claws shot out from her fingertips, piercing my right shoulder and Hughes's left. We flew back into one of the walls.

Maes slowly took out a gun from its holster on his belt. He kept it behind his back, until he whipped it out and shot the man and the woman in the head.

"Negi!" The woman's claws retracted, and Hughes grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the building.

"Maes," I said as we ran. "What the hell do we do?"

"Keep running!" he yelled.

We ran through the small town the woman led us to, and we soon saw Central City over the hill.

And then we saw Freya. Of all times, we found her _now_. She looked at us, and almost screamed.

"Shhh!" I said. "We don't have time for that. Go to Mustang's office and come back with him. Hurry!"

She nodded, and ran off.

Hughes and I hid behind a large rock that stood at the top of the hill.

"Negi, you okay?" he said, panting.

I held onto my shoulder. "The pain is manageable."

Hughes looked out at Central. "I am not dying. Those freaks are not killing me. I have a wife and daughter waiting for me, goddammit!"

"Roy should be coming soon with backup," I said. "Until then, let's hope they don't find us."

We heard footsteps behind us. We both froze.

"They should be dead," Hughes whispered. "I shot them both in the head."

"Gluttony, where are they?" I heard the man's voice.

We heard the footsteps come closer. "He's right here," another man's voice said. "Right here, I smell him!"

The woman pierced the rock right above our heads, and sliced it in half. It fell apart, revealing Hughes and I sitting on the ground.

We jumped to our feet. I pressed my hands on the ground, and a large wall rose from the pavement. We stood with our backs to it.

The woman sliced the wall in half too.

"Maes Hughes," the woman said. "You know too much. And you'll pay for that knowledge with your life."

"Haha, have mercy, will you?" Hughes said. "I have a wife and a daughter waiting for me at home. And I _will not_ die on them!"

He turned around, this time with push knives in both hands, and was ready to throw.

But he froze.

As did I.

Because next to the woman and a short, fat man, was...

What looked like...Hughes's wife.

His jaw dropped. He dropped the knives too.

"Hughes! It's not her!" I yelled.

"G-G-Gracia...?!" he asked, his voice shaking tremendously.

She smiled crookedly. "You humans are so pathetic!"

And then, she lifted the gun that was in her hand, and pulled the trigger.

"MAES!" I yelled. I jumped in front of him, but I was pushed to the ground by the fat man.

I still remember watching that bullet go through Hughes's chest.

"HUGHES!" I heard someone scream. I looked over to see Mustang, Havoc, Breda, Falman, Fuery, Hawkeye, Chiba, Hawkeye, and Freya standing at the top of the hill, staring.

Mustang ran towards us, and he snapped his fingers at the fat man, the woman, and 'Gracia.' They were engulfed in flames.

"Damn Colonel..." the woman said, and they vanished back down the hill.

Roy and I ran to Hughes, who was lying on the ground. "Hughes! Maes! ANSWER ME!"

"Roy..." Hughes said. "I...I don't have much longer. Tell Elicia and Gracia I love them and I'm sorry." He smiled. "I'll be waiting for you to become Fuhrer, Roy. I'll be waiting..."

His head rolled back, and his eyes went blank.

"Hughes! Hughes!" Roy screamed, crying his eyes out. I was crying as well.

.

I have lost too many fathers.


	18. Ch 18: The Brigadier General's Ballad

**Eighteen: The Brigadier General's Ballad**

I walked closer to the crying Colonel. "C-Colonel..." I said between sobs.

He stared at the ground.

Havoc, Falman, Fuery and the gang gathered around us. Most of them were crying.

Even Riza.

Freya walked toward me, tears in her eyes. I opened my arms to her, and she ran and hugged me.

And soon, everyone started hugging.

Riza and Roy.

Chiba and Falman.

Havoc and Breda.

We turned around to Hughes's dead body lying behind us. Roy and I walked forward to it, and he slammed his fists on the ground. "What...how...what will we tell his wife? And his daughter?"

Riza wiped her eyes. "I'll do it, sir." She looked at me. "Will you come with me?"

I nodded. I motioned for Freya to come with us.

"The rest of you," I said. "Comfort the Colonel. We'll be back..."

.

.

.

"Mrs. Hughes," Riza said when Gracia opened the door.

Gracia's smile quickly faded to a frown when she noticed our sad expressions. "What happened?"

Riza sighed. "Mr. Hughes... was killed by a group of unknown suspects a short time ago. I am very sorry. He told Colonel Mustang before he passed, 'Tell Gracia and Elicia I love them and I'm sorry.'"

I walked forward. "Mrs. Gracia..." I said. "I was there. He was badly wounded when two or three people trapped us in an abandoned building. We tried running, but they said 'he knew too much'. He was shot twice. I'm sorry. I tried to save him." I collapsed on the floor. "I'm sorry..."

Elicia ran to the door. "Mommy, is Daddy—" She looked at me. "Mommy, what's the matter?"

Riza, Freya, and I turned to leave. "We're sorry, Mrs. Hughes. The Fuhrer will contact you shortly," Riza said.

We walked out of the apartment. But I could still hear Gracia and Elicia crying in my head.

.

.

.

Maes's funeral was one of the saddest things ever.

Elicia kept saying things like, "Why are they putting Daddy in the ground? He can't do his work if he's in the ground!"

Everyone was crying. Roy, Riza, even Major Armstrong. The strongest people I knew were crying.

Hughes was a powerful man. He touched everyone he met. His love for his family went deeper than anything I'd ever seen. Not just by ranting on about how cute his daughter was and how beautiful his wife was. He would've given up his life for them in a split second if he had to. He treated me as a father would. He treated Freya like a daughter. He spoiled Elicia and showered love over Gracia. He was determined, even though he goofed off a lot. He respected Roy too. He was happy to support Roy from the bottom to try to raise him in the ranks. Everyone in Central thought he was a very friendly, devoted, wise, trustable man. And yet, that was the reason of his death.

Damn you, whoever killed him.

After it was over, only Freya, Roy, Riza and I stayed. We gathered around Hughes's grave. I looked over at Roy. "Are you okay, Colonel?"

He looked back up at me. His eyes were wet. "Yeah."

"You sure?"

He looked back at Hughes's grave. "I feel foolish. But, I've seriously been considering Human Transmutation to bring him back. He's been my closest friend for a long time. I watched him die. This is something I will never forget."

"I understand, Colonel," I said. I stared at the ground and clenched my fist. "But Human Transmutation only brings more pain. Trust me on that one..."

"Colonel," Riza said. "I will absolutely forbid you to commit Human Transmutation. I'm sure the Lieutenant Colo— Excuse me, Brigadier General, will want you to keep pursuing your dream of leading this country."

"He always said he'd support me from the bottom," Roy went on. "He was promoted two ranks for dying in the line of duty. How can he support me from below when he's a rank ahead of me?"

"Brigadier General Hughes would want you to become the next Fuhrer of this country, no matter what it takes. He supported you until now, but because he's gone, we all will support you," Riza explained.

"Yeah, Colonel," I said. "Hughes was a special man and could never be replaced. He's on the other side of the river now, that can't be helped." I started crying. "But, I'm sure he wants us to move on, not to sit here crying over his grave!"

Roy stood up. "Yeah...you're right." There was a weird tone in his voice. "Lieutenant, let's head back to my office. We have work to do."

.

.

.

Freya and I decided not to stay with Gracia anymore, to give her some alone time. We checked into a military inn.

I cried myself to sleep the night after Hughes's funeral. I woke up the nest morning, and Freya was sitting by the window. She turned to look at me, and she was crying. I stood up and walked over to her. "Freya, don't cry..." I wiped her cheek. I wrapped my arms around her. "I know it's hard. But it'll be okay. We're strong; we'll get through this..."

She continued to cry. "Mr. Hughes was like the great father I never had...and now he's gone... Damn, if I was an alchemist, I would definitely use Human Transmutation right now..."

"No!" I slapped her across the face.

She stared up at me, her eyes wide.

"I loved Hughes as a father like you did! He was very important to me! But think, he's _not_ our father! Think of how hard this is on Elicia! And Gracia! And have you learned nothing from my mistake?! Humans cannot be brought back from the dead! Human Transmutation only hurts more and you could lose more than it's worth!" I shook her shoulders. "Don't even think that way!" I started crying. "I'm so glad you aren't an alchemist, because if anything happened to you if you committed the taboo...I wouldn't go on..."

She continued to stare.

And then, there was a knock at the door.

"Steel Soul," It was Roy. "Can I come in?"

Freya stood up and opened the door.

"Whoa, are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

She shook her head, and lunged forward into Mustang's arms. She was sobbing.

He looked back at me, sitting on the floor, my head in my hands, crying my eyes out. He held Freya tightly. "Steel Soul, get up."

I lifted my head slightly. I wiped my eyes. "What do you want, Colonel?"

"What has you and Freya so upset?"

"She said if she was an alchemist, she'd commit Human Transmutation to bring Hughes back..." I explained.

He looked down at her. "Freya..."

"I'm sorry..." she said. "I just...I just want him back...!"

"I know, we all do," Mustang's voice was soft and comforting. "To be honest, at first I was trying to put together a theory of Human Transmutation. But you know what happened to the Elrics, and to Negi. Humans can't be brought back, no matter how much you want it."

"He was like...he was like a father to me!" she cried, sobbing harder into Mustang's chest.

"Even so, there's nothing we can do to bring him back. You and Negi just have to move on." He looked me dead in the eyes. "'I'm sure he wants us to move on, not to sit here crying over his grave.' Right, Steel Soul?"

I nodded. I stood up and wiped my face. "Yeah." I walked over to him and Freya. I petted her hair. "It's okay, Freya."

She pulled away from Mustang and nodded. He grabbed her wrists and looked her in the eyes. "Don't even think about Human Transmutation. You'll be okay."

She nodded again.

He let go of her. "You guys will be alright."

"So Colonel," I said. "What did you come here for?"

"I just came to check on you," he said. "If you two ever need to talk, just come to my office."

He turned, and walked down the hallway. Riza was standing against the wall outside of our door, and she followed Roy.

I closed the door. I sighed. "Well. The Colonel isn't as bad as I thought."

"Yeah..."

"Well, Freya," I said. "We've cried enough. I think...I think it's time we move on."

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Negi. For freaking out on you and Colonel Mustang."

"It's okay. Just stay strong, Freya."


	19. Chapter 19: Going to tell the Pipsqueak

**Nineteen: Going To Tell the Pipsqueak**

We decided to walk to Mustang's office later that day. He seemed surprised to see Freya and I. Riza let us in, and he looked up from his paperwork. "Steel Soul, Freya...you guys alright?"

"Yes," Freya said, and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry for earlier, Colonel. I lost control of myself."

"It's fine," he said. "So, what brings you guys here?"

"We want to find out exactly who killed Hughes," I said, determined. "I know what some of them look like, because there was a group of three people. But I think there's more than that. Some sort of evil organization that is targeting the military. I also noticed they all had Ouroboros tattoos."

"Yeah, that is suspicious..." Roy remarked. "We'll look into it."

"They killed him because 'he knew too much', apparently. That's what they said. But they kept me alive...and that scares me. Who knows what the hell they're planning?"

"We won't let them kill you too," Roy said, standing up and looked at me. "If they kept you alive for a reason, then we need to find out what it is." He sighed. "It'd be a good idea to increase the number of escorts around you for the time being, with Scar on the loose and this new danger."

"Fine," I said.

"I believe we can get Lieutenant Ross and Lieutenant Brosh to look after you," he said. "Or Chiba and Hayes."

"Whatever," I yawned. "Oh, by the way, do the Elric brothers know about Hughes yet?"

"We don't think so," he said. "Last time I checked, they were heading to their teacher's house in Dublith in southern Amestris."

"Dammit!" I yelled. "Freya, come on, let's go find them!"

I grabbed her arm and we dashed out of the building. Soon after, we were able to board a train heading to Dublith.

"What's with the sudden need to see Ed and Al?" Freya asked when we got settled on the train. "And didn't Mustang _just_ say we needed escorts?"

"Forget that. And Hughes was Ed and Al's commanding officer," I said, turning toward the window. "He can't really do that when he's dead."

She looked down. "Yeah..."

"And," I continued. "They might be able to help us find those guys with the Ouroboros tattoos."

"Yeah..."

I looked at Freya. "Don't be sad."

She nodded. "I know."

.

.

.

Lust sank into the backseat of the train car. "So, they're going to tell the Elrics. Well, this isn't good at all."

"No good, no good!" the fat man beside her chanted.

"Gluttony, will you help me take care of this?"

He nodded. "Can I eat them? Can I eat them?!"

"Not yet," She patted his head. "Soon."

Gluttony grinned widely.

.

.

.

We got to our train's first stop, in a town called Rush Valley. I looked out the window, and stood up. "Freya!" I yelled, and I dragged her off the train.

"Why are we running?!" she asked.

"I just saw Ed and Al!" I called back. "They went this way!"

I ran in the direction of which the Elrics were heading. They saw me, and turned around.

I stopped in front of them to catch my breath. "Ed...Al...did you guys hear about Lieutenant Colonel— I mean, Brigadier General Hughes, yet?"

"He got promoted?" Ed asked. "That's awesome!"

"Yeah, he got promoted...but do you know why?"

Ed saw the sad look on my face. "What happened to him?"

"He...died..." I said slowly. "He was shot and killed..."

Ed's eyes widened. "He— He's dead?!

I nodded. "Only last week. His funeral was yesterday."

"I know it's hard to deal with," Freya said. "I was still crying about it this morning. But, as Negi said, 'I'm sure he wants us to move on, not to sit here crying over his grave.'"

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Ed fell to his knees and slammed his fists against the pavement.

"I'm sorry," I said. "But cheer up. He was smiling until the end."

"Yeah..."

"What are you guys doing in Rush Valley?" I asked. "Mustang told us you were going to Dublith."

"We are," Ed said, annoyed. "But Winry annoyed us into coming here first."

"Speaking of Winry, where'd she go?" Al asked.

We looked around, and she was standing outside of a store, looking in the window. "Ohhh, Rush Valley!" she gushed. "The holy land of automail! Look at all these automail shops, all the automail limbs! It's like heaven for a mechanic!"

Ed groaned. "She begged us to take her along."

"Ah...by the way, don't tell Winry about Hughes yet," I whispered to Ed. "It's ruin this trip for her."

"Okay," Ed put his hands in his pockets. "So, what should we—" He felt around in his pockets. He pulled them inside out, and looked at Al. "Hey, where'd my watch go to...?"

"You lost it?"

"Dammit!"

An old man passed by us. "You might have been targeted by Paninya."

"Paninya?" I asked.

"She's a pretty famous pickpocketer around these parts," the man said.

"Where can we find her?!" Ed asked.

"Well..."


	20. Chapter 20: The Pickpocketer

**Twenty: The Pickpocketer**

Ed slammed the door of a local collector's shop open. There was a girl standing at the counter, Ed's State Alchemist watch in her hand, and she turned at us.

"Hey, you!" Ed pointed at her. "Didn't you ever learn that stealing isn't nice?!"

She grinned. She picked up an expensive vase off of the counter, and whipped it at us.

The clerk at the counter gasped, and Ed leaped back to catch it.

The girl giggled and slipped away.

"Come back here!" Ed yelled, and ran after her.

I sighed. I looked at the clerk. "What is that girl's deal?"

"Her name's Paninya," he said. "She sells things to me, and then I sell them."

"She steals the things she gives to you!" I said somewhat angrily. "She was about to sell you a pocket watch from the Amestris military! Edward needs that watch as proof he's a State Alchemist! And you buy that stuff off of her, so you're just as bad as she is!" I glared at him. "Feel ashamed!"

He shrunk back. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I didn't know it was stolen!"

I looked away, disgusted. I walked out of the store, where Al, Freya and Winry were standing outside. "Let's go."

.

.

.

Ed followed Paninya throughout the entire town. He tried to stop her by transmuting obstacles, but she easily managed to avoid them.

When Paninya came near me, I clapped my hands and pressed them on the ground. Several bars rose from the ground around her, and they came together at the top. She looked at me, confused.

"Good job, Negi!" Ed praised.

Paninya knocked on one of the bars. "You might wanna stand back."

"Huh?"

She kicked the bars, and they all came crashing down. It had torn her pants, and her automail leg was visible. It had a blade sticking out of it.

"Oh, come on," she said. "You can't be too surprised in this town. And my other knee shoots missiles!"

She shot a missile at Ed, and turned to run away, but Winry grabbed her arm. "I'm not letting you get away this time!"

"Crap!" Paninya said.

"...not until I have a look at that beautiful automail!" Winry continued.

.

.

.

Paninya saw down on the side of a river and rolled up her pant legs. Winry was fangirling over the automail. "Compared to other types of automail, this one is very complex yet can still maintain balance! And the hidden weapons do not take away from the overall aesthetics of the legs, and they can stand a high impact! Oh, so beautiful and original! Please, tell me who made them!"

"Uh, sure," Paninya said, and stood up. "Follow me. I'll take you there...only if you forget what happened here today!"

"Wait a minute!" Ed protested, but was interrupted by Winry.

"Of course!" she said. "Now show us the wonderful person who is capable of making such perfect pieces of automail!"

.

.

.

"Hey Ridel!" Paninya said, as she entered the remote shop where her automail mechanic lived.

A young-looking man with glasses looked at us. "Oh, hi Paninya. I see you've brought guests. Are they here to buy automail...?" He took another look at us. "FORGIVE MY RUDENESS, I'M SO SORRY!"

I laughed awkwardly.

A woman came into the room. "Paninya, you're back," she said. "And you brought your friends today!"

"Yep!"

"Just in time, too," the woman added. "I just made some snacks!"

"I'm Ridel LeCoulte," the man with glasses said. "And this is my wife, Satella."

"Oh, so did you create Paninya's legs?" Winry asked.

"No, no, that was my dad's work," Ridel explained. "Paninya, would you mind going to get him?"

"Sure!" she replied, and left the room.

Satella sat down. Ed, Al and I walked over to her.

"Wow, you're pregnant!" Ed exclaimed.

"Yep, the baby is due in just a few more weeks!" Ridel said, and rested his hands on his wife's shoulders.

"It's getting heavier and heavier!" Satella said, sighing happily.

"That's so amazing," Al said.

"Can I touch it?!" Ed asked excitedly.

"Go ahead!"

Ed reached out and rubbed her stomach. I did the same.

"That's really a miracle," Ed remarked. "Humans are really something."

"We were like that too," Al said. "In mom's stomach."

Ed nodded happily.

"I remember when my mom was pregnant with my sister," I added. "To think that something so tiny can grow up to be something really significant!"

Satella nodded and smiled.

Freya smiled from across the room.

Paninya came back into the room. "Uh, Mr. Dominic isn't very cooperative..." She rubbed the back of her head. "But you guys can come with me to see him."

"Alright!" Winry said, excitedly.

Paninya led us to one of the back rooms, where a man sitting of a stool. He turned to us. "Who the hell are you?"

"Hi Mr. Dominic!" Paninya said, slightly embarrassed. "These are friends of mine...Edward, Alphonse, Winry, Negi, and Freya!"

"I'm busy, go away," Dominic said, irritated.

"Mr. Dominic," Winry said, and walked closer. "The automail legs you made Paninya are simply perfect in every way shape or form! It is my dream to make automail of such flawless perfection! Please, teach me your wisdom!" She bowed at his feet.

He looked at Paninya, confused and weirded out.

"She's an automail mechanic too," Paninya explained. "She made Ed and Negi's automail."

"Edward!" Winry called.

He looked over, and Winry was waving for him to come over.

He grunted.


	21. Chapter 21: Repay Him Fairly!

Twenty-one: Repay Him Fairly!

"Iron, 17%...steel, 1%..." Dominic said as he tapped on Ed's arm.

"I was planning on increasing the hardness and making it lighter," Winry said.

"Correct. In proportion to the rest of his body, the automail is too heavy. Maybe that's why he's so short for his age."

Ed, only in his boxers, practically fell of the stool he was sitting on. "WHO'RE YOU CALLIN'— Wait a minute! If Winry makes it lighter, I could possibly grow taller?!"

"It's a possibility," Dominic said, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at me. "Now, let me see your automail too."

I took off my jacket to reveal my sleeveless shirt. He knocked on my arm with a wooden mallet. He muttered a few things to himself. "However, unlike Edward, in proportion to this boy's body, the automail seems to be of reasonable weight."

"Wow, Mr. Dominic, you know so much!" Winry praised. Suddenly, she bowed. "PLEASE TAKE ME ON AS YOUR APPRENTICE!"

"No." Dominic's voice was cold and harsh.

Winry looked crushed. "Please...reconsider...?"

"No!" he repeated. "I don't need an apprentice!"

"Well, if you won't take her on as an apprentice..." Ed interrupted, talking smoothly. "Then just show her how to help me grow taller!"

"Go away, pipsqueak!"

"I'M NOT SHORT!"

"Please, take me on!"

"I don't need a damn apprentice!"

"Put your pants back on!"

"Please!"

Ridel walked up to Edward. "Sorry, my dad's stubborn! He won't give in!"

Ed growled.

"Go home!" Dominic yelled, just as a rumble of thunder clapped in the sky.

"We can't go home!" Ed protested. "Just look outside!"

"Then wait until it stops raining, and then go!"

Ed, Al, Freya and I wondered into a different room.

"It's been raining for a while now," Winry remarked.

"Ugh, my legs always ache when it rains!" Paninya complained, and rubbed the automail.

"Why do you have them?" Winry asked curiously.

Paninya looked up at the ceiling and half-smiled. "When I was young, I was in a train accident, and I lost my parents and my legs. I felt miserable, like I had hit rock bottom. Then, I probably had the gaze of dead person. And that was when I met Mr. Dominic!"

_Paninya sat against the side of a building, a blanket over her leg-stumps. Dominic noticed her as he passed by, and stared for a moment._

_"What are you looking at?" Paninya asked, sarcastically and angrily._

_ "You must think you're the most miserable person in the country!" Dominic snapped back. "I hate people like you!" He picked Paninya up and held her under his arm, and headed to his house, with her flailing and yelling all the way._

"He forcefully attached my automail limbs!" Paninya remembered. "The recovery was slow and painful, but...I stood on my new legs, and gained a new hope. If I could stand, I could go anywhere!" She smiled at Winry. "Even if he can be grumpy, I really like Mr. Dominic! And of course, I like Ridel and Satella too!"

"That's so sweet," Winry remarked.

"It's our honor!" Ridel said proudly.

"And..." Paninya continued.

_"I don't need to pay?!" Paninya asked Dominic after she was completely recovered._

_ "Forget it, don't let it disrupt your life!" he replied. _

_ Later, she stood with the doctor that operated on her legs. She held a piece of paper, a receipt, and her eyes bulged out of her head._

"Mr. Dominic's work was really expensive, and it scared me!" Paninya went on.

"So you come here to repay him?" Winry asked.

"Yeah. But he won't accept it. And, he does maintenance on my legs too!" Paninya sighed. "It makes me speechless to think about!"

"Ugh," Winry groaned. "You dummy! If you want to repay Mr. Dominic, then how about paying back in a fair way?!"

"But if I don't steal, how am I gonna pay him back...?"

"Mr. Dominic gave you those legs out of sincerity, and it's not right to pay him back by taking things to make a little cash! You need to gain some money fair-and-square to pay him back!" Winry ranted. "He gave you those legs to make your life happier, so a good way to repay him is to live life to the fullest! As Edward would say, it's Equivalent Exchange!"

Paninya stared at her for a moment. Her blank face faded into a smile. "You're right! I'm going to get a job and repay Mr. Dominic all by myself!"

"Yup!" Winry said proudly.

Paninya pulled Ed's State Alchemist watch out of her pocket. "I guess I should probably return this to the shorty."

"That kids really a State Alchemist?!" Ridel asked.

"Looks can be deceiving," Paninya said.

Winry tried to open the watch. "It must be stuck or something!"

"He said not to open it," Paninya recalled. "There must be something inside that he doesn't want anyone else to know."

They all smirked evilly. "Then let's open it!"

Winry pulled out her screwdrivers. "My kind of job!" She tinkered with in, and within a minute she had it open. "Got it!" she said happily. "So his secret is..."

On the opposite side of the clock, the words "Don't forget .10" were engraved into the silver.

"October third, year ten..." Paninya read. "What does that mean?"

Winry looked at the watch sadly. She handed it back to Paninya. "Give it to Edward!" she commanded. She stood up and wiped her eyes. "I'm going to go ask Mr. Dominic for an apprenticeship one more time!"


	22. Chapter 22: The Miracle of Life

**Twenty-two: The Miracle of Life**

A short time later, Winry burst back into the room Ridel and Paninya were in. "MR. RIDEL! YOUR WIFE, SHE'S...!"

She led them to the kitchen, where Ed, Al, Freya and I had just walked in, and where Satella was lying of the ground. "Satella!" Ridel yelled. We kneeled down beside her. "What's wrong?!"

"It's time..." she mumbled. She grunted. "Now."

We screamed.

"This is too early! Right...?!" Ridel asked.

"I wasn't feeling too great earlier this evening..." she explained. "But I didn't think it'd be this early..."

Dominic slammed the door opened. "WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?!" he yelled. "My grandson's being born! He's being born!" We all panicked.

"Geez, stay calm, everyone," Satella said, irritated.

Dominic put on a jacket and opened the front door of the house. "In all this rain, we can't take her to a hospital! Damn!" he cursed. "I'm going to go bring the doctor here!"  
He hopped on a horse and galloped away.

"Be careful, Dad!" Ridel yelled after him.

He went over to Satella, who was now lying in a bed. "Hang on until Dad comes back with the doctor, okay?"

"I don't know how long I can," she muttered.

"Re—Relax!"

"Stay calm!"

"Y—yeah..." Winry said unsurely. "You're right!"

And then, Dominic appeared in the doorway, a shocked and upset look on his face. "The bridge..." he said.

We all ran out of the house to the bridge that lead to the town. It had snapped, and was hanging on the other side.

"Damn, the lightning must've hit it..." I concluded.

"What can we do?!" Winry asked.

"What we do best!" Ed answered. He looked at Al and I, sending a silent message. I understood.

Al drew a transmutation circle in the dirt, and Ed and I clapped. We pressed our hands on the ground, and the land from around the bridge entrance began to come together and move out towards the other side.

"Go!" Ed yelled.

Suddenly, the end of the land bridge began to break off into the river. We gasped.

"What the hell happened?!" Dominic asked.

"Dammit!" I yelled, and slammed my fist against the ground.

"Why'd he stop?!" Winry asked.

"It was getting too heavy to support itself!" Al explained. "It's too far of a distance to build a bridge only like that."

Ed slapped his hand on his forehead. "What are we gonna do..." he muttered to himself. "Think...think...!"

"We could build columns under the bridge!"

"But the rain water would just wash them away!"

"We have limited materials, so it's practically impossible..."

"There's an old mountain road that leads into the town," Dominic said. "It's going to take longer. Go back and comfort Satella!"

He left on his horse.

Ed and I clenched our fists. "We're recognized by the state as living weapons..." he said, sounding like he was about to cry.

"And yet...at this important time, we're useless..." I finished.

.

.

.

We walked back into the house, and Paninya peeked out of the room she, Ridel and Satella were in. "Winry!" she said, scared. "Satella's bleeding lots of water!"

"Oh, crap...her water broke..." Winry dried her face with a towel."

"Is that bad?!" Ed asked.

"Looks like she's gonna have the baby soon..." Winry continued.

"WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?!"

"THE DOCTOR'S NOT GONNA MAKE IT IN TIME!"

Everyone ran around the room, yelling their heads off, except for me and Winry.

She pulled on Paninya's ponytail, Ed's braid, and Al's head, dragging them to her. "Mr. Ridel! Come here!"

Winry looked at me. "Do you know how?"

"I helped my mom when I was eight," I said. "I know a little bit."

"Then it's settled!" Winry said. She tied an apron around her waist. I did the same. "We're gonna have to help Satella!"

"Ed and Al, get some hot water! Paninya, get more towels! And get Satella a pillow!" she ordered.

We ran around the house, gather the supplies we needed.

"Are you sure we should let Winry and Negi do this?!" Paninya asked Ed.

"There's no other choice," Ed replied. "Winry comes from a long line of doctors, and she grew up reading medical textbooks. And Negi helped his mom have his sister eight years ago. We have no choice but to trust their knowledge!"

Winry and I stood outside of the door, trying to remember anything else we needed. "Winry! Negi!"

We turned around, and Ed and Al stood behind us. "Good luck!"

We nodded.

"Paninya!" I said. "Come help!"

"Okay...!"

And the door slammed shut.

Ed and Al sat outside the door. They stood up and opened the door, but closed it again when they heard Satella scream.

"OWWW! I THINK I'M GOING TO DIE! IT HURTS TOO MUCH, OWWW!"

"I'm actually really afraid right now," Ed said.

"Me too, Brother!"

"As other people would say," he continued. "We need to 'pray to God'."

"Yep..." Al looked over, and the door swung open. Paninya was kneeling in the doorway, panting. "Blood...blood, I hate blood..."

Ed ran to Winry, who was sitting on her knees not too far from the door. "Winry, what happened?!"

She pointed to Satella. He looked up, and saw Ridel holding something.

The new baby.

Ridel and Satella smiled tiredly.

I was lying on my back next to the wall, and I gave them a thumbs up. "We did it..." I muttered.

Ed and Al threw their hands up in the air. "HAHA! HOORAY!"

Ed looked out the doorway. "What's wrong, Paninya? Afraid of a little blood?" He mocked.

"I can't stand blood..." she said. "No more blood..."

Winry took off the apron. "Mr. Ridel, go wash the baby."

"Uh, right!" He left the room.

Ed and Al stood next to Satella's bed. "The baby's born! That's awesome!"

"You're acting like a child..." Winry commented.

"This is the birth of a new life!" he said. "Alchemists tried to centuries, but were never able to create human life, even with the most advanced scientific theories! But humans can create a human in only nine months, without any science! Just pure nature!"

"Don't compare science with life!" Winry scolded.

"Sorry, it's a habit..." he said. "But still...it's the miracle of life. Humans are amazing."

Winry smiled.

"You and Negi were amazing too," Ed went on.

I sat up. "That was so exhausting..."

Winry laughed. "Praise me more!"

"So the baby's born now," Ed said. "Need anything?"

She tugged on his sleeve. "Help me up!"

"Huh?"

"My back hurts..."

Ed picked Winry up on his back, and walked into the main room. "It's shameful to be carried by a guy shorter than me..." Winry muttered.

"Then I'll just put you down!"

"Oh yeah," Winry said. She looked down, as if she was ashamed. "I saw what was written in the watch..."

Ed let go of her, and she fell to the floor.

"Ow!" She rubbed her back. "That hurts!"

"HOW DARE YOU OPEN IT!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry!"

He looked down at her, angrily.

"I'm sorry..."

He grabbed her arm. "Idiot..." He pulled her up into a chair and sat next to her. "Even Al has never seen it!"

"Why...?"

"It's a warning and a remembrance for myself," he said. "I'll always carry it with me. Even if it's kinda wishy-washy!"

Tears streamed down Winry's face.

"Why are you crying?"

"If you guys won't cry, then someone should at least do it for you!" she said and wiped her eyes.

Ed looked away. "Idiot..." He reached over and set his hand on her head.


	23. Chapter 23: Chop Chop

**Twenty-three: Chop Chop**

"Just go home," Ed said. "Now you know how precious having a family is. Granny Pinako must be lonely."

"No," Winry replied. "I can't go home now that I saw what was carved in the watch! I have to become stronger! The only thing I'm useful for is creating an arm and leg for you, and I have to make the best one I can! That's why I'm going to ask Mr. Dominic for an apprenticeship one more time!"

"Really?" Ed asked, smirking. "Good luck."

"Mm!"

I walked into the room. "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?" I grinned evilly at Ed.

He and Winry both blushed. "What?! No!" he said quickly. "Well, how about you and Freya, huh?!"

I laughed and blushed.

Ed looked across the room, trying to change the subject. "Paninya!" he yelled.

She was still lying on the floor, mentally scarred from all the blood she'd seen. She lifted her head slightly. "What...?"

Ed slapped her upside the head with his automail hand.

"HEY, WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" she cried in pain.

"PAYBACK FOR STEALING MY WATCH!"

"But did you have to use your right hand?!"

"I'll gladly hit you with my left!"

.

.

.

Soon after that, the rain stopped and Dominic arrived back at the house with a doctor. "I'm a grandfather!" he gushed, and stared at the baby. "My grandson's so cute~!"

"Split personality..." Ed muttered under his breath. I heard him and laughed.

"I thought I wouldn't make it!" Dominic went on.

"Both mother and the child are fine!" the doctor said. "Post-birth check is clear!" He turned around to Winry. "You did well for your first birth!" he praised.

"I only tried my best!" Winry explained. "I would've never been able to do it without Negi's help!"

I rubbed my neck. "I only used what I remembered from eight years ago!"

"The baby's birth really caused everyone a lot of trouble," Al said. "It must've been because Ed touched Satella's stomach earlier!"

"Because of me?!" Ed exclaimed.

"The baby's fine, don't worry about it!" the doctor said.

"Yeah..." Dominic said. He bowed to us. "Thank all of you. Especially the little missy and the alchemist with the ponytail!"

"It was nothing," Winry and I replied.

Ed smiled mischievously. "Well, Mr. Dominic, wouldn't you say you owe her one for this? How about taking her on as your apprentice...?"

"Not a chance!" Dominic snapped. "Though I'm very grateful for the help, the two matters don't have anything to do with each other! And she has a family of her own. They must be worried about her!"

Winry looked down at the ground.

"Damn, looks like there's still no chance..." Ed cursed.

"He's right though," Al said. "Granny Pinako must miss you."

Dominic looked back at Winry's disappointed face and sighed. "If you're determined to get an apprenticeship, I have a friend in town that's been looking for some help."

"Can I still come here to learn?" Winry asked.

"Don't come and disturb me!" Dominic yelled. "Well..." His voice softened. "I guess if you're here to visit my grandson, then it's okay. And I guess the other three good-for-nothings can come too."

.

.

.

Ed, Al, Freya and I left for the train station later that day. Winry was going to talk to Dominic's friend, Atelier Garfiel, for a possible apprenticeship. We saw the train pulling out of the station, so we ran to catch it.

"Don't get yourselves killed!" Winry yelled.

"We'll try!" Ed called back.

Al jumped onto the back of the train, and pulled Ed onto it with him. Freya jumped and grabbed their arms to be pulled up, and I came last. We waved to Winry.

"Good luck with Garfiel!" Al yelled.

"Don't forget to call Granny Pinako!" Ed called. "And make sure to give me a new and improved arm next time!"

Winry laughed and waved back as the train pulled farther away. Winry stood at the edge of the train station platform and watched as we disappeared in the distance.

.

.

.

Ed and Al lead us to the front of a small butcher shop when we arrived in Dublith. They stared up at the front. "Well, Al..." Ed said. "It's been a short life."

"I'm too young to die, Brother!" Al whined.

"Just what kind of person is this teacher of yours?" Freya asked, slightly afraid.

"Well..."

The door suddenly slammed open. Ed and Al jumped back. At first, all that could be seen was a large beefy shadow that towered over our heads.

Its voice was so deep it seemed to shake the ground. It said, "Who's out here?"

It laid its eyes on Ed and Al, and did a double-take. "Is that you, Edward?" it asked.

"Y-yes..." Ed replied shakily. "N-nice to s-see you again, S-Sig..."

The person emerged from the shadow, and was revealed to be an Armstrong-sized man with a large butcher-knife in one of his hands. He wore an apron over his t-shirt.

Sig raised his hand and set it on Ed's head. He ruffled his hair. "Long time, no see, shrimp. Are you here to see Izumi?"

"Y-yeah."

Sig looked at Al. "Who's the man in the armor?"

Al waved his hands around. "Uh, Mr. Sig, it's me, Alphonse! You probably don't recognize me..."

Sig moved his hand to the top of Al's head. "Alphonse, you sure have grown! More than your puny brother." He turned to me and Freya. "I don't recognize you folks."

"Those are our friends, Negi and Freya," Ed answered. "Negi's an alchemist."

"I'll go get Izumi for you," Sig said. "She's been resting in bed. I'll see if she's well enough to see you."

"Is she still sick?" Al asked. "Has her condition worsened?"

"She's fine," Sig said. "Don't worry." He turned away. "I'll be back."

When Sig left, Freya and I looked at Ed and Al awkwardly. "We're missing something, aren't we?"

"We'll explain later," Ed said. "We just have to wait for Teacher for now..."

.

.

.

"Izumi," Sig said, and walked up to an open window around the back of the shop. "The Elric boys are here to see you. They brought along two friends of theirs, and one's an alchemist."

"The boys are back, eh?" Izumi said, and sat up in her bed. "It's been a while."

"Are you feeling good enough to go see them?"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm feeling great today! Plenty of energy."

Izumi walked to the front of the shop and opened the door. At the sight of Ed, she smiled. "Edward, it's been years since I've seen you! How have you been?"

I had a feeling the happiness in her voice was fake and over-the-top.

"I've been good, Teacher, how about yo—"

Interrupting Ed's sentence, Izumi lifted her leg and kicked Ed across the lawn. It seemed like a fire had erupted around her. She stood over his limp body. "I HEARD YOU BECAME A DOG OF THE MILITARY! READY TO SACRIFICE YOUR LIFE AT ANY MOMENT! I DID NOT TEACH YOU ALCHEMY SO YOU COULD BECOME THE MILITARY'S FIRST LINE OF ATTACK WHEN YOU'RE SUMMONED!"

I turned to Freya. "That's their teacher?!" I whispered. "She must be one hell of an alchemist; like State Alchemist material."

Crazy-Izumi heard me and whipped her head around to look at me. "And who are you?"

"I-I'm Negima Kain," I said nervously. "I'm also a State Alchemist..."

Before she could hurt me, I added, "And I've heard you're an amazing alchemist!"

"Where'd you hear that?!" Izumi yelled. "I'M ONLY A BUTCHER'S WIFE!"

**AN: This is the last chapter for a little while. I am working on chapter 24, so be patient! owo**


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